Philip IV of Spain

the larger English society as well. At the same time though, she also kept the power of the papacy within bounds, humbly accepting the spiritual authority of the Catholic Church, while resolutely refusing to submit to the attempts of the Pope Paul IV to interfere in church policy within the Church of England. The unfortunate tragedy of Mary’s life is that she was not able to secure the Catholic succession after her demise, and England reverted to Protestantism, after the accession of her half…

age 23, he left for Italy to work as a court painter for the next eight years. Through the span of these eight years he does many art works in Rome and in Spain. These eight years can be described as the most important in his career. Rubens…

On October 31, 1517, an unsatisfied, non-conforming, progressive theologian named Martin Luther took an action that altered the religious (and, in some cases) political landscape of the entire Western world. Disgusted at the Catholic church’s insistence on the sale of indulgences and unconvinced as to their doctrine of “salvation by works,” the Wittenberg professor nailed a 95-point document to the front door of his university’s Catholic church. This document, later called the “Ninety-five…

Linear Perspective was first introduced to the art world in the Italian Renaissance. Khan Academy perfectly defined linear perspective as “what renaissance artists had clearly achieved through the careful observation of nature, including studies of anatomical dissections, was the means to recreate the 3-dimensional physical reality of the human form on two-dimensional surfaces”. Linear perspective first started with the human body and then shortly after was used to represent space in paintings…

Louis took part in many wars, but one war stands out the most: War of Devolution. This war is a combat between France and Spain to take control over the Spanish Netherlands. " The Franco-Spanish Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659) brought France modest territorial gains. The peace was sealed by a marriage in 1660 between the young Louis XIV (ruled 1643–1715) and the daughter of Philip IV, Marie-Thérèse (1638–1683)" ("Devolution, War of"). Louis announces that the capital has never been paid for. The…

While Jews certainly did prosper in medieval western Christendom - in Spain, England, France and the Holy Roman Empire - it is arguable whether this occurred during times of true Christian persecution, for this phrase implies a coherent, general and importantly, state-backed, form of oppression, which did not exist until late in the period. Indeed, even though anti-semitism did exist, the two distinct phases of Jewish prosperity during the Middle Ages were marked rather with tolerance and…

The story of The Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory vividly brought to life the ideas, characters, and fears of the 1550s that resulted from the fierce rivalry between King Henry III’s daughters, Elizabeth and Mary Tudor. It followed both women through the eyes of the psychic “holy fool”, Hannah “Green”, as they battled over the English throne. The aging, unappealing Mary Tudor was nearly the exact reverse of her youthful and lively younger sister. While Mary sought to stomp out all Protestants…

Due to the Holy Roman Empire’s influence, the Roman Catholic Church played a significant role in the lives of western Europeans in the Middle Ages (Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia). People were named, married and buried by the guidance of Roman Christianity (Haberman and Shubert). This changed when Martin Luther asked questions regarding salvation and the relationship between community and God. As a result of these questions, Europe would never be the same as Luther started the Protestant…

Pablo Picasso was born October 25 1881, in Malaga, Spain; he died April 8 1973, at the age of 92 in Mougins, France. He was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer who spent most of his adult life in France. He is widely known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage, and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore. His father was Jose Ruiz Blasco, and his mother was Maria…

authorized on 31 March 1492, in May those Jews who refused to convert left for Portugal, North Africa and Turkey. Those who fled to Portugal only found temporary refuge, for five years later they again faced the problem of forcible conversion. As in Spain, this led to the rise of crypto-Judaism, and on 23 May 1536 an Inquisition was set up on the Spanish…