Inquisition, run by the Catholic Church, begins in Spain.
1503 Da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa.
1512 1509
Luther completes his degree in Theology. Henry VIII ascends throne in England.
1420 1453
Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) captured by Ottoman Turks.
1455
Gutenberg Bible printed.
1492
Columbus lands in San Salvador.
1498 Vasco da Gama reaches India.
1460 1500 1505 1510 1505
Martin Luther joins the Augustinian monastery.
1511
Luther becomes professor in Wittenberg University.
Michelangelo completes
Sistine Chapel. 1517
Pope Leo X declares indulgence (people could pay to reduce their punishment in the afterlife for their sins) for the rebuilding of St Peter’s Basilica.
Luther posts 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg Castle (31st October).
Hernando Cortés arrives at Aztec city of Tenochtitlan.
1515 1521
Diet and Edict of Worms. Frederick of Saxony hides Luther at Wartburg Castle.
1520
1
World population estimated at 400 million in 1500. By 2017 it was 7.6 billion.
2
Luther’s translation of the Bible into German was completed in 1534. By 1546 there were 500,000 copies published in 93 cities
As you work through this chapter, you will: 1. Explore the main causes for change within the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century. 2. Describe the contribution made by Martin Luther and other religious reformers of the time. 3. Compare the differences between main beliefs of the Catholic Church and Lutheranism. 4. Analyse the consequences of the Reformation on the populations of Europe. 5. Evaluate the importance of religion on the history of Europe.