Tag: 15th Century

Renaissance Serial Killers

To celebrate Halloween, and while we are in an in between period, I thought it would be fun to discuss some creepy topics from the Renaissance. Today, we will focus on what real humans terrorized the people of the era. *Warning: This article will go over some graphic events and crimes that would be described… Continue reading Renaissance Serial Killers

The Printing Press & Johannes Gutenberg

One of the most important inventions of this period must be the printing press. It allowed the ideas of the time: art, music, and humanism to spread like wildfire. Without this invention, it could be argued that the Renaissance would not have propelled us from the Middle Ages. The thing is, the printing press was… Continue reading The Printing Press & Johannes Gutenberg

15th Century Navarre

The stop for us this century is Navarre. Last century, Navarre fought for its sovereignty from France, and the brutal end to a brutal king (Charles the Bad), alongside the rise of his son Charles III. Charles is remembered in a much better light than his father, mostly because he spent his 38 year reign… Continue reading 15th Century Navarre

Crossbow of Matthias Corvinus

For our correlating post to the Holy Roman Empire, I decided to discuss art left from the King considered to bring the Renaissance from Italy, and that would be Matthias, King of Hungary and Bohemia. This crossbow belonged to him and was one of the earliest surviving that included heraldry in the decoration.  Crossbows are… Continue reading Crossbow of Matthias Corvinus

15th Century Holy Roman Empire

When we left the Holy Roman Empire, it was being ruled by Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, and what started as a peaceful reign is slowly moving towards calamity, as Wenceslaus shows his cruelty, alcoholism, and tolerance for what they perceived as heresy (his support of reformer Jan Hus). The torture and murder of Vicar-General, John… Continue reading 15th Century Holy Roman Empire

15th Century Kalmar Union

At the end of the last century, we saw the creation of the Kalmar Union, which encompassed Sweden (with Finland), Norway, and Denmark under one ruler while maintaining their independence. This came from a series of mismanagement throughout each country until the ascension of Queen Margaret of Denmark I, who united them in this union… Continue reading 15th Century Kalmar Union

The Kingis Quair: A King’s Tale

Due to the misfortunes of the 14th century, the people hadn’t thought much about art and poetry in Scotland. It is surmised their literary Golden Age began in the 15th century with ‘The Kingis Quair’. It is a 379 line poem that is an autobiography of James I. He wrote about his time as prisoner,… Continue reading The Kingis Quair: A King’s Tale

15th Century Scotland

Now that we’ve concluded the countries under English rule, let’s discuss their Northern neighbors: Scotland. (I apologize in advance, this is the century of “James” and every monarch will have this name). When we left the Scots, they struggled to recover from the harsh events of the 14th century, and we’re mourning King Robert II… Continue reading 15th Century Scotland