Tag: india's contemporary economic condition

Reformation led to the division within the Church. It broke the unity of Christendom. The church was broken up into two major groups: Protestantism and Catholicism. The two main groups further divided into many sects. National Churches were established in many countries. The supremacy of the Pope was replaced by the supremacy of the Bible.

Leonardo-da-Vinci was a multi-talented personality having proficiency in painting, sculpture, architecture, engineering etc. His world famous oil painting, Monalisa, sparked a new trend in portrait painting influencing European paintings of the coming centuries and gave new colors to the ideals of Renaissance. His paintings were a combination of science and art which is well reflected in this masterpiece. 

Petrarch is known as the 'Father of Renaissance.' He collected about 200 Latin and Greek manuscripts.He was well-known for his poem and sonnets. A deep contemplation of man's happiness and sorrow can be seen in his poems. 

The Church was the most influential body in medieval history. It held great importance in the lives of people who perceived the Church as a source of divinity and legitimacy.

"Renaissance" is a French word meaning rebirth or revival. Europe witnessed extensive prosperity during the later Middle Ages. There were many thinkers and researchers in various walks of life. The Europeans advanced in religious power, political power, economy, social structure, art, literature, science, etc. Renaissance means all round progress in various walks of life. 

During the Renaissance, the humanist scholars acquired the books from the Arabs and retranslated them into Greek and Latin and studied them.

The 16th century has been called the century of geographical explorations. Until the end of the Middle Ages, Europeans were ignorant of geography. In the later developments, Europeans found new sea routes to various parts of the world. The new continent of North America, South America and Australia came to light. 

Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire and was a centre of Greek and Roman cultures. It had the valuable manuscripts of the Greek and the Roman writers. But Constantinople fell into the hands of the Turks in 1453. Many Greek and Roman scholars were thus forced to shift to Rome and other parts of Europe with their manuscripts.