Renaissance Period

The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic,

political, and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. Generally
described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century,
the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy,
literature, and art.

Illumination:
Illuminated manuscripts were produced between 1100 and 1600, with
monasteries as their earliest creators. Wealthy patrons also wanted
these illustrative works for personal libraries and encouraged the
formation of private workshops that flourished in French and Italian
cities between the 13th and 15th centuries.

Facts:
 Such decorations illustrated the text and helped guide people
through it. The pictures were especially important because
during medieval times, many people, even those who owned
manuscripts, could not read.

 Books is source of power.

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THE MOST POPULAR TYPE OF ILLUMINATED MANUSCRIPT WAS THE BOOK OF HOURS, WHICH WAS
COMPRISED OF CHRISTIAN PRAYERS TO BE SAID AT CERTAIN HOURS THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

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Johannes Gutenberg was a German inventor and craftsman who
introduced letterpress printing to Europe with his movable-type
printing press. Though movable type was already in use in East Asia,
Gutenberg invented the printing press, which later spread across the
world.

Gutenberg's early printing process, and what texts he printed with

movable type, are not known in detail. His later Bibles were printed in
such a way as to have required large quantities of type, some
estimates suggesting as many as 100,000 individual sorts. Setting
each page would take, perhaps, half a day, and considering all the
work in loading the press, inking the type, pulling the impressions,
hanging up the sheets, distributing the type, etc., it is thought that the
Gutenberg–Fust shop might have employed as many as 25 craftsmen.

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 Martin Luther ( November 1483– 18
February 1546) was a German priest,
theologian, author, hymnwriter, professor,
and Augustinian friar. He was the seminal
figure of the Protestant Reformation, and
his theological beliefs form the basis of
Lutheranism.

Impact of Luther’s writing

Luther’s collected works run to 55 volumes. It is estimated that between 1520 and 1526, some 1,700
editions of Luther’s works were printed. Of the six to seven million pamphlets printed during this time,
more than a quarter were Luther’s works, many of which played a vital role in propelling the reformation
forward.

Thanks to Luther’s translation of the Bible, it became possible for German-speaking people to stop
relying on church authorities and instead read the Bible for themselves.

Luther argued that ordinary people were not only capable of interpreting the scriptures for themselves, but
that in doing so they stood the best chance of hearing God’s word. He wrote,

“Let the man who would hear God speak read Holy Scripture.”
Luther’s Bible helped form a common German dialect. Prior to Luther, people from different regions of
present-day Germany often experienced great difficulty understanding one another. Luther’s Bible
translation promoted a single German vernacular, helping to bring people together around a common
tongue.

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