By: Steven Anuszkiewicz, Kristen Kurlander, Colleen Kelly & Kristine Cura

1. By: Steven Anuszkiewicz, Kristen Kurlander, Colleen Kelly & Kristine Cura

2. Key People • Dante • Chaucer • Christine de Pizan • Machiavelli • Johannes Gutenburg • Shakespeare

3. Dante • Dante was an Italian writer and poet. • Most famous work- the Divine Comedy. It tells the story of an imaginary journey through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven, where he finally meets God. • He lived from 1265 to 1321 • wrote using the vernacular.

4. Chaucer • 1343-1400 • Chaucer helped make vernacular literature more popular • used the English vernacular in his famous work The Canterbury Tales • The Canterbury Tales have always been Chaucer's most popular work • During the next twelve or fifteen years there is no question that Chaucer was constantly engaged in literary work

5. Christine de Pizan • 1363-1430 • a French woman that defended women's rights • She wrote The Book of the City of Ladies in 1404. • She denounced the many male writers who had argued that women, by their very nature, are unable to learn and are easily swayed. • Christine de Pizan argued that women could learn as well as men if they attended the same schools.

6. Niccolo Machiavelli • 1469 – 1527 • studied politics • most famous work- The Prince. • His political views have influenced leaders profoundly. • One of the first people to reject the idea that rulers should base their decisions and behavior on Christian principles. • believed political activity should not be restricted by moral principles.

7. Johannes Gutenburg • 1398 – February 3, 1468 • a Germanblacksmith, goldsmith, printer, and publisher who introduced printing to Europe • His invention of mechanical movable type printing started the Printing Revolution • The first European to use movable type printing, in around 1439, and the inventor of the printing press

8. Shakespeare • 1564 to 1616 • wrote many famous works such as: • Romeo and Juliet • Hamlet • Macbeth • Julius Caesar • is viewed universally as a genius and master of the English language

9. The Vernacular • a style of speech that used vocabulary and slang from everyday people. • Many famous writer of this time began to write in this style, such as . • Allowed everyday people with improper educations to read and understand books.

10. The Impact of Printing • The Renaissance first saw the development of printing in Europe. • In the fifteenth century, Europeans gradually learned how to print with moveable metal type. • The printing of books encouraged scholarly research and increased the public's desire to learn. • Certain ideas and beliefs, such as the Reformation would not of spread as rapidly without the printing press. • Printing allowed European civilization to compete with the civilization of China for the first time.