Important Figures in History

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Important Figures in History

The Renaissance period was characterized of a cultural movement that saw flowering literature, education, sciences and arts and thus there was an inflow of new ideas as well as practices, leaving a profound cultural legacy. Various discoveries were made during this period, and thus most of the important people with historical significance can be traced from this period.

Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo Da Vinci is one of the five important people in art (Freud). He lived between 1452-1519 and is known for his famous Mona Lisa painting. Da Vinci was the supreme renaissance painter, inventor, scientist, and polymath. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest minds that the world has ever produced. He is a person of historical significance because he was interested in almost everything from science, music to art. Da Vinci was a great creative force at the beginning of the renaissance period. The Mona Lisa and the Last Super paintings are among the most famous works of art that have made Da Vinci as one of the important people in history. Most of his theories have been used in modern technology that includes the design of the battle tank and the helicopter. Besides, many of his studies in anatomy were employed in the medical field for many centuries after his death, therefore, made significant contributions in the field of medicine and architecture.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Machiavelli was an Italian political thinker who lived between 1469-1527 (Black). Besides, he was also a writer, humanist, historian, and diplomat. Moving in political circles, Machiavelli developed a new branch of political science that was based on the humanist principles. He was accused of plotting to overthrow the Medici family from the power which made him thrown into exile. During exile, he wrote The Prince, a writing that made him famous. His major hope was that the book would reinstate him to power but instead made him famous due to its content and style. The book was a guide to the prince on how to rule his kingdom. It urges the reader to be ruthless in the pursuit of power. It emphasizes that it is better to be feared than to be loved, an opposite guide to the prince as others required him to be pious, just, and moral. After Machiavelli’s death, the book was published but immediately banned by the church, and this made it one of the controversial political books in history. Machiavelli is, therefore, an important historical figure as he is associated with the negative connotations today based on his book ‘The Prince.’

Galileo Galilei

Galileo is a well-known scientist who lived between 1564-1642 (Panofsky). He is known for his major works in kinematics, heliocentrism, telescopes and analytical dynamics. Based on the Archimedes principle he invented a hydrostatic balance. He is also the pioneer for the modern thermometer as he invented the thermoscope, a device that was used to show temperature changes. Galileo is also accredited for the invention of the improved military compass, that provided a new way for the military men to elevate their cannons. Galileo is considered as the father of the observational astronomy due to the invention of the telescope that enables him to explore the sky. Galileo also proved the heliocentric model, and he was able to do this through his discovery of Venus and as well discovered the four largest moons of Jupiter. To sum it up, Galileo is considered as the father of modern science as he played a key role in the Copernican revolution by advocating the heliocentric model of the solar system. He is, therefore, an important person in history in the field of science due to his revolutionary discoveries.

Martin Luther

Luther is a key religious figure of the Renaissance period who lived between 1483-1546 (Marius). He was the leader of the protestant reformation. He wrote 95 theses attacking the church. The attacks included criticizing the church believes that sins could be mitigated through paying money. He was excommunicated from the Catholic church and then became a key figure in the new protestant religion. Martin’s central teachings were that the Bible is the core source of religious authority. He also believed that salvation is reached through faith and not deeds. Luther is a controversial figure due to his writings which led to massive religious reforms and divisions and at the same time his radical positions such as his pronouncement against the Jews. He is a great religious figure in history as his insistence that the sole source of religious authority is the Bible leading to the translation of the bible to reach many people, a fact that was truly revolutionary and still is carried on to the present generations. Martin Luther, therefore, is an important figure in the renaissance period.

William Shakespeare

Shakespeare is one of the greatest people in history who lived between 1564-1616 (Marche). He was an English poet as well as a play writer. Among his famous works of literature include Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Hamlet and the Merchant of Venice. Shakespeare is celebrated due to his brilliance. During the renaissance period, human expression was reached at its full potential. Shakespeare’s works were and remain one of the most important expressions of freedom that had its influence in the renaissance period. He is known to have influenced the age in which he lived at least as much as it influenced him through his literary works of drama and comedy. He is known to dwell on the themes of love, freedom, and revenge to which are still contemporary in modern society and therefore he is an important person in history. His contributions in literature are significant making him a recognizable figure in history.

Works Cited

Black, Robert. Machiavelli. Routledge, 2013.

Freud, Sigmund. Leonardo da Vinci. Routledge, 2013.

Marche, Stephen. How Shakespeare changed everything. Harper, 2011.

Marius, Richard. Martin Luther: the Christian between God and death. Harvard University Press, 2009.

Panofsky, Erwin. “Galileo as a critic of the arts: Aesthetic attitude and scientific thought.” Isis 47.1 (1956): 3-15.