Front Page Titles (by Subject) The Renaissance and the Reformation

Period: The Renaissance and the Reformation

Between the late Medieval period and 17th century occured two extraordinary events which forever changed European life and culture: the flowering of art, science, and literature known as the Renaissance, and the fracturing of the Christian church into competing denominations, known as the Reformation. The major historical events and intellectual movements of that time, which influenced the development of liberty, include the following:

• the writings of the great Church reformers, Clavin and Luther, who challenged abuses in the Catholic Church, translated the Bible into the vernacular, and encouraged different interpretations of the meaning of religious texts and the organization of Churches
• the development of modern political philosophy in the writings of Machiavelli and More
• the religious wars which followed the Reformation forced thinkers to question the proper authority of the Church and the King, and forced true believers to find the courage to challenge the status quo

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