Technological Changes
There were many technological changes in this time period like the Renaissance. The Renaissance was a technological change because new thinking helped new inventions come along, such as the printing press. The Reformation, also a new way of thinking, although in the Church, was also a technological change.
Renaissance and Reformation
The Renaissance
The Mona Lisa, a famous painting from the Renaissance
The Renaissance occurred during the 15th and 16th centuries in Europe. This was a period of time where sudden interest was sparked in areas such as literature, art, and architecture. Renaissance, meaning rebirth, was when things in life were reversed and given new meaning. The Renaissance encouraged mathematic and scientific exploration throughout Europe. This was a time when art, architecture, and literature found new ways of doing things. Artists started to paint different ways, writers experimented with new techniques, and arches became commmon and could be seen on tons of buildings.
The Reformation
The Reformation, happening around the same time as the Renaissance, was when some people broke away from the Catholic Church. This was an epic event because before that, the Catholic Church was the only church. The people who broke away, called Protestants, broke away because in the Catholic Church, there was a practice of selling something called indulgences. The Catholic Church said that before you went to either Heaven or Hell after you died, you would first go to a place called Purgatory, where God would decide where you would go. To get into Heaven, you would have to do one of two things. You could dedicate your life to the Church, or buy these things called indulgences. Indulgences, in the opinion of the Protestants, was just a way for the Catholic Church to make money. The Protestants didn't like that, and broke away from the Catholic Church.
The Printing Press
Printing Press
The printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenburg in the Renaissance. Before the printing press, books had to be copied by hand, so they were extremely expensive and only very rich people could afford them. With the printing press, books could be made way more efficiently and faster, so more people could afford them. Most people in that time period couldn't read, so being able to buy books encouraged learning to read, which was a part of the Reaisssance.
