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Jul 24, 1440
Invention of the Printing Press
A printing press is a machine that transfers lettering or images by contact with various forms of inked surface onto paper or similar material fed into it in various ways . The device is used for printing many copies of a text on paper. It was invented by Johannes Gutenberg. The printing press was very useful. -
Apr 15, 1452
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance man , a florentine artist, one of the great masters of the High Renaissance, celebrated as a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, and scientist. His inventions played a major role in the Northern Renaissance and he is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters of all time. -
Jan 1, 1453
Northern Renaissance Begins
By the end of the Hundred Years War, in 1453, changes in art, literature and philosophy were brewing in Northern Europe. The Renaissance came to Northern Europe via the French king, Francis I. Francis rebuilt the palace at Fontainebleau, introducing the Italian Mannerist Style, with its dense Roman detailing to its interior decor. He also brought the famed Italian artist, Leonardo Da Vinci to the French Court. Da Vinci undoubtedly had a great influence over many local artists. -
Apr 6, 1453
Fall of Castantinople
This was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire which occurred after a siege laid by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Sultan Mehmed II. The siege lasted from April 5, 1453 until May 29, 1453, when the city fell to the Ottomans. Constantinople was defended by the army of Emperor Constantine XI. The event marked the end of the political independence of the millennium-old Byzantine Empire, which was by then already fragmented into Greek monarchies. -
May 21, 1471
Albrecht Durer
Albrecht Duerer was without doubt the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance and an innovator. He is the first artist who is known to have painted a self-portrait and to have done a landscape painting of a specific scene. His drawings and watercolours are impressive for their difference of subject-matter and the varied media in which they were produced. Duerer had major influence on the development of European art. -
Dec 31, 1484
Hans Baldung
Hans Baldung was born in 1484 in Schwäbisch-Gmünd. He was a German Renaissance artist in painting and printmaking in woodcut. He was surnamed Grien or Grün because of his fondness for the color green. Although he probably studied with Durer, he evolved a personal style revealing his interest in brilliant color, effects of light, and expressively contorted forms. Baldung was also esteemed as a portrait painter and designer for stained glass.He died in Strasbourg in 1545, -
Nov 16, 1492
Vasco de Gama
Vasco de Gama was a Portugese Explorer who discovered trade route to Asia. He discovered the route at the same time Columbus discovered the Americas. His discovery led to the Treaty of Tordesillas and the eventual Portugese colonization of Brazil. -
Dec 14, 1542
Mary, Queen of Scots
also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was queen regnant of Scotland from December 14, 1542 to July 24, 1567. Mary, Queen of Scots was one of the most fascinating and controversial monarchs of 16th century Europe. At one time, she claimed the crowns of four nations : Scotland, France, England and Ireland. Her physical beauty and kind heart were acknowledged even by her enemies. But she lacked the political skills to rule successfully in Scotland. -
Feb 26, 1564
Christopher Marlowe
He was born to a shoemaker in Canterbury named John Marlowe and his wife Catherine. His date of birth is not known, but he was baptised on 26 February 1564, and likely to have been born a few days before. He was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death on May 30, 1593. -
Death of Queen Elizabeth 1
Queen Elizabeth I died of blood poisoning. She was nearly 70 years of age. Arguably the greatest monarch that ever rule England. Under her rule England prospered, became a major power, encouraged the Arts and great literature by William Shakespeare, John Donne, Christopher Marlowe and Sir Edmund Spenser. Great explorers discovered new lands such as Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Sir John Hawkins, Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Richard Greenville. It was indeed the Golden Age of England.
