1450

Gutenberg is the famous inventor of movable type machines. Around 1455 Gutenberg produced a practical and inexpensive copy of the Bible. In the next century the technology exploded across Europe, from 1 to 100, to 1000 printers across Europe. In the sixteenth century, Gutenberg's movable type apparatus, also coined …

1469- 1527 - Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian politician who's ideas have come to embody an ideal of political power. Machiavelli served as a secretary to the Florentine Council of Ten, and as a diplomat. When the Medici regained control of Florence in 1512, Machiavelli was forced into exile where his …

1304- 1374 - Petrarch was a Florentine, though he primarily lived outside of Florence. Petrarch is attributed in the revival of the classics, and the foundation of Italian Renaissance humanism. He is considered one of the greatest lyric poets of the time, and many of his sonnets are inspired by his …

1265- 1321 - Dante was a Florentine noble who was exiled from his political office. Dante is well known for his work the Divine Comedy which he wrote between 1313- 1321, while in exile. Dante's work depicts the progression of a soul through the process of salvation.

1294- 1303 - Pope Bonifice VIII was a controversial fourteenth century pope. When Philip IV intended to tax the clergy, Bonifice responded that clergy could not pay taxes in any state without papal consent. The power struggle underscored the inherent tension between the powerful European monarchs and the supreme papal authority …

1412- 1431 - Joan of Arc was the daughter of peasants from the village of Domr'emy in Champagne. Joan was deeply religious and is known to have experienced visions. She believed that several saints commanded her to free France and to return rule to the dauphin, or rightful heir. Joan of …