The Renaissance, which began in Italy, spread across the Alps to northern Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries. During the same period, movable-type printing became widespread, promoting the popularization of knowledge and opening the way to the Scientific Revolution.
The Northern Renaissance
- Erasmus (the Netherlands, 1466–1536): He satirized corruption in the Church in “The Praise of Folly” and was a leading figure in northern humanism.
- More (England): He described an ideal society in “Utopia.”
- Shakespeare (England): He portrayed the essence of humanity in works such as “Hamlet” and “Macbeth.”
- Cervantes (Spain): He satirized chivalry in “Don Quixote.”
Movable-Type Printing and the Heliocentric Theory
Gutenberg (Germany) invented the movable-type printing press in the 1440s. Bibles and academic books became widely available in large numbers, bringing about an information revolution.
Copernicus (Poland, 1543) published the heliocentric theory (Sun-centered theory) in “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres.” It overturned the Church’s geocentric theory (Earth-centered theory) and became the starting point of the Scientific Revolution.
Gutenberg (Germany) invented the movable-type printing press in the 1440s. Bibles and academic books became widely available in large numbers, bringing about an information revolution.
Copernicus (Poland, 1543) published the heliocentric theory (Sun-centered theory) in “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres.” It overturned the Church’s geocentric theory (Earth-centered theory) and became the starting point of the Scientific Revolution.
The Development of the Scientific Revolution
Galileo Galilei observed celestial bodies with a telescope and supported the heliocentric theory, but he was forced to recant during a religious trial. Kepler discovered the elliptical orbits of planets, and Newton explained the workings of the universe mathematically through the law of universal gravitation.
Practice
- Who was the leading northern humanist who wrote “The Praise of Folly” and criticized corruption in the Catholic Church?
- Give 2 effects that Gutenberg’s movable-type printing had on history.
- Give the name of the astronomer who advocated the heliocentric theory and the title of his book.