Pope Pius II

Over twelve centuries ago, the Dark Ages marked the years in between the fall of the Roman Empire and the birth of the Renaissance period. Little technological improvement, no major civilizations, as well as diseases like the bubonic plague were part of the reasons why this time period was known as has been named the Dark Ages. Nobles were heads of their manors and one of the most popular jobs was serfdoms, working lands in exchange for protection if their was war. Manors were secluded by hills,

Michelangelo was an Art prodigy in florence during the renaissance and attended the Medici Arts school. The Medici’s had control over the entire florentine government, and the italian states. They were very influential in art because they patronized artists to commission works that spread the ideas of the renaissance like secularism, humanism, civiculism . When Michelangelo was 13 he was criticized and motivated by Lorenzo Medici to improve his work, thereafter he strived for greatness. Lorenzo

occurred during the height of the Renaissance: The Laocoon. Perhaps one of the world’s most famous Hellenistic sculptures, it was originally located in the palace of Titus. It was then lost for over a thousand years before its rediscovery in 1506. Pope Julius II immediately acquired it, and displayed it in the Vatican Museums. The renowned discovery of one of the few

land pleas and negotiating with nobles. Matilda played a lesser role in foreign politics than her husband. She did, however, maintain contacts with the Church. She sent gifts to French abbots and German hermits along with open contact with Pope Gregory VII. Pope Gregory VII encouraged Matilda to bring her husband closer to the church where the Pope’s could keep a

1. Among Palestrina’s Masses, the Pope Marcellus Mass was among a small number that did not include what? According to The Oxford History of Western Music, the Pope Marcellus Mass is one of Palestrina’s few Masses that doesn’t consist of “preexisting material.” In fact, prior to Palestrina writing the Pope Marcellus Mass, he had written over thirty paraphrase Masses (imitation masses) which were Masses that borrowed at least two or more parts from another piece of music (e.g. all

large families gained power and lost, popes took power and had it resisted. However, through all these centuries a few characteristics stayed the same. Religion was the over-arching layer but deep inside the frescos and churches, courtly aesthetics, corruption and Christian propaganda dominated the time. Mainly between the medieval period and the protestant reformation, corruption in the church and in between large families and the church was very common. Pope Leo X, in office from 1513-1521, turned

the path of Fortune. To be a truly notable ruler, or human being in general, one must go beyond recognizing and preparing a plan to actually taking action. This is the point at which Pope Julius II and Cesare Borgia are praised by Machiavelli. Pope Julius entered his rule at a time when "the temporal powers of the Pope were little

Michelangelo Buonarroti was one of the greatest artists of all time. Many people all over the world throughout history have admired his work and he is possibly the most renowned artist of all time. Michelangelo completed many artistic pieces during his lifetime, and he did them very beautifully and in a very inspiring way. Michelangelo Buonarroti was born on March 6, 1475 in the city of Caprese, Italy, just outside of Florence. Michelangelo's mother died in 1481 when he was at an early age.

In Nelson Minnich's religious interpretation of Raphael's famous portrait of Pope Leo X, Minnich first begins with the very basics of the portrait; what is contained within its canvas and why it is there. From small clues such as these, he is able to lay the foundation for which theories and conclusions can be based. He first points out the location of the figures in the painting. Minnich believes that they are in a large room, seated before a green cloth on the wall, or cloth of honor. There

a reasonable commission he finally settled down in Florence where he stayed for many years. He fell in love with the city and the opportunity for work. His first real job came with the interest of Pope Julius II. Julius assigned Raphael with many challenging pieces, one being a self-portrait of the Pope (Vasari 23-29). In 1511 Raphael painted his greatest masterpiece during his stay in Rome, the School of Athens. The fresco brought more than 15 brilliant writers, philosophers, and theologians into