Top 10 People of the Renaissance, Reformation, and Age of Exploration
1. Christopher Colombus
2. Hernando Cortes
3. Vasco da Gama
4. John Calvin
5. Charles V
6. Martin Luther
7. Ulrich Zwingli
8. Henry VIII
9. Henry VII
10. Petrarch
- Colombus was an explorer from Genoa, Italy, but was sponsored by Spain go on expeditions; he is especially well known for accidentally finding the Americas while trying to find trade routes in the East Indies.
- 1451-1506
- His expeditions led to the discovery of the Americas, which led to an event of conquest and colonization of Spain in the new world.
2. Hernando Cortes
- Hernando Cortes was a Spanish conquistador, who led an expedition that conquered the Aztecs in 1521.
- 1485-1547
- His help in gaining the land in Mexico meant that Spain had just acquired a lot of land, money, and power oversees where others hadn’t traveled quite yet.
3. Vasco da Gama
- Vasco de Gama was a Portuguese explorer who was the first to sail a ship from Europe to India, all the way around the tip of Africa in 1498.
- 1469-1524
- Vasco’s accomplishment meant that Portugal now had access to a trade route that many others didn’t have, and they were able to make a lot of money off commodities from India.
4. John Calvin
- John Calvin was a French theologian who started Calvinism, which is reformed Catholicism, in Geneva, and believed in predestination and a strict moral code.
- 1509-1564
- His effect on society was that he created a protestant branch that was separate from the Catholic Church.
5. Charles V
- Charles V was a Habsburg rule of the Holy Roman Empire, interrogated Martin Luther, and was the first king of Spain.
- 1500-1558
- Charles V’s interrogation of Martin Luther led to Luther’s excommunication, and the event of him becoming the king of Spain led to keeping Spain united under Habsburg rule.
6. Martin Luther
- Martin Luther was a German theologian and Augustinian monk who studied at Wittenberg, wrote the 95 theses, and started a protestant branch called Lutheranism.
- 1483-1546
- His 95 theses was the first attack on the Catholic Church and allowed others to start speaking out for themselves against the church, and his protestant branch (Lutheranism) was the start of Protestantism.
7. Ulrich Zwingli
- Ulrich Zwingli was a Swiss humanist and reformer who was inspired by Luther, attacked the church for indulgences, clerical celibacy, and the mass, and brought his branch of Protestantism to Zurich, Switzerland.
- 1484-1531
- Zwingli’s reforms were effective in Zurich, but had a hard time taking off in the surrounding cities, as they were afraid of revolting against the Catholic Church; Zwingli’s effect had made Zurich a city for others to fear.
8. Henry VIII
- Henry VIII was the king of England (r. 1509-1547) who decided to break from the Catholic Church after an annulment of his first marriage was denied: he created the Anglican Church, and dissolved monasteries.
- 1491-1547
- Henry’s reforms caused the generations ruling after him to have trouble finding common religious ground, and his dissolving of monasteries lead to land and money being filtered back to the government.
9. Henry VII
- Henry VII was the first king to come from the Tudor dynasty and established peace and order, using the Star Chamber, giving power to the middle class and taking it away from the nobles, and establishing a foreign policy.
- 1457-1509
- Henry created a stable and wealthy government and increased England’s status with his foreign policies and business deals with Spain and Scotland.
10. Petrarch
- Petrarch was a Florentine poet and scholar, who dedicated his time to searching for classical Latin and Roman manuscripts, believing that people should live and work by these classical models; he encouraged the start of liberal arts, and was the “father” of humanism.
- 1304-1374
- Petrarch’s work led to the start of humanism, the start of liberal arts, and inspired many later artists, writers, and leaders in their lives by their following of humanist standards.