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Pope Clement VII by Sebastiano del Piombo
A 1526 CE portrait by Sebastiano del Piombo of Pope Clement VII (r. 1523-1534 CE). (National Museum of Capodimonte, Naples, Italy)
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Pope Celestine III
Stained glass window in York Minster depicting Pope Celestine III (1191-1198 CE)
Article
Unam Sanctam: Spiritual Authority & the Medieval Church
The Unam Sanctam (1302) was a papal bull issued by Pope Boniface VIII (served 1294-1303) requiring the complete submission of all people, including kings, to the authority and dictates of the pope. As the Church was understood as holding...
Definition
Thomas Wolsey
Thomas Wolsey, Cardinal Archbishop of York (l. c. 1473-1530 CE) served as Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547 CE) from around 1513 CE to 1529 CE. Wolsey rose to become the most powerful man in England after the king, he...
Definition
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation (1517-1648) refers to the widespread religious, cultural, and social upheaval of 16th-century Europe that broke the hold of the medieval Church, allowing for the development of personal interpretations of the Christian...
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Pope Gregory I
Statue of St. Gregory the Great in the Oratory of St. Barbara on the Caelian Hill, Rome.
Definition
Fifth Crusade
The Fifth Crusade (1217-1221 CE) was called by Pope Innocent III (r. 1198-1216 CE) with the objective, like previous crusades, of recapturing Jerusalem from Muslim control; only this time the strategy was to weaken the enemy by first attacking...
Definition
Donato Bramante
Donato Bramante (c. 1444-1514 CE) was an Italian Renaissance architect whose most famous project was the design for a new Saint Peter's Basilica in Rome, even if this work remained unfinished at his death. Bramante had also designed the influential...
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Julius Caesar (Artistic Facial Reconstruction)
A photorealistic representation of Julius Caesar (100-44 BCE) as he may have appeared in life. This reconstruction is based on archaeological evidence including bust, coinage, and descriptions of Julius Caesar in historical accounts. Contemporary...
Definition
English Reformation
The English Reformation began with Henry VIII of England (r. 1509-1547 CE) and continued in stages over the rest of the 16th century CE. The process witnessed the break away from the Catholic Church headed by the Pope in Rome. The Protestant...
