The Great Discoveries of the XV Century The Renaissance and the Reform The Great Discoveries of the XV century After the end of the One Hundred Years War, life in France will be transformed by great discoveries: the compass and the printing press. Before the compass, the navigators have only the astrolabe, which allows them to determine the latitude, but not the longitude. Therefore, they don't dare to adventure far from the dimensions, and the voyages throughout the ocean are impossible. But, having the compass, with the needle always pointing to the North, the navigator determines the longitude, and the exploration voyages become possible. Christopher Columbus, leaves his country ...view middle of the document...
The printing press will change that, and the books will multiply. The first book that Gutenberg will print in quantity is the Bible and it remains today one of the several famous books <<Bibles that have forty-two lines>> (they have forty-two lines per page). The modern printers still admire their beauty.The Renaissance Under the influence of large discoveries that opens the New World, which also multiplies the books, under the influence also of the Italian Renaissance, France enters a phase of transformation, modernism, and at the same time of discovery and the admiration of the classical Greek and Latin culture. The French Renaissance is associated with the name of Francois 1er (king in 1515). Francois 1er is young, beautiful. plain, and full of energy and enthusiasm. When he becomes a king, it seems like a new era begins. It is Francois 1er who decides that, from now on, French will be the official language in France (1539). All of the official acts will be written in French (before, they were written in Latin).The Loire Castles During the Renaissance, the lords and the king builts a lot of marvelous castles which are residences of pleasure. One finds these castles a little all over France, but especially in the Valee de la Loire where the visitor can admire five or six of these castles in only one day. There is Azay-le-Rideau, a little castle surrounded by water, built to be <<a lady's residence>>, Chenonceaux, which later adds its gallery in the river, the great Usse, surrounded by greenery, and the somptuous, unforgettable Chambord, built by Francois 1er to eclipse all the others.The Reform Until this period, The Catholic Church with its head, the Pope, represents the unquestionable religious authority. But it's at this time when the Pope decides to build Saint-Pierre de Rome, the splendid Vatican church. He needs a lot of money. He sends religious groups in each country, in each province to sell indulgences . An indulgence is the remission, by the Pope, that you can pass to the Purgatory, for an amount of money.An indulgence won't get you to Paradise if you have to go to Hell. No. It only shortens your time during the Purgatory, for a certain amount of money. The sale of indulgences is a common thing at that time, and lots of people were enchanted to pay in order to go to Paradise very fast. But not everyone. There's a German monk, Martin Luther, who is angry by the excesses of certain...