Honest History Issue 9 The Era of Exploration

This issue of Honest History was called the Era of Exploration.  It is all about the Renaissance period of history. The Renaissance was a period during 1300-1600.  During this time many scientists, artists, explorers, philosophers lived and worked in Europe. This period of time came after the Middle Ages or Dark Ages.  The Black Plague killed 30-60 % of the population on the continent during the dark ages.  This caused people to begin to rethink traditional ideals and open up to new ideas. Florence Italy was the center of the Renaissance. People used to be concerned with religion and the afterlife but this new Renaissance had them thinking more about human activities and less about the supernatural.  This part of the movement was called Humanism.  They focused on grammar, history, art, literature, philosophy, Greek and Roman classics, architecture, and art.  The movement extended beyond Italy.  There were many famous artists who created their work during this time including Michaelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci.  The printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg.  This gave more people the opportunity to read and learn than ever before.  The Renaissance caused many big changes in the way people think and set the stage for the next big movement called the Age of Enlightenment and also the Industrial Revolution.

There were many important events that happened before and during the Renaissance.   The Bubonic Plague or black plague came before.  Henry the VIII and his wives also influenced the Reformation which was a movement of people unhappy with the Catholic Church. The Protestants and Catholics fought for centuries after this.  The 15th century also began an Age of Discovery for many explorers like Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan, and Vasco de Gama.   While searching for a new route around the tip of Africa, Columbus found new lands.