1304 Petrarch is born The birth of Petrarch, later celebrated as an early humanist, symbolizes the intellectual beginnings of Renaissance culture. 1341 Petrarch is crowned poet laureate Petrarch's coronation in Rome marks the prestige of classical learning and literary revival. 1348 Black Death reshapes Europe The plague devastates Europe and contributes to profound social and economic change during the era that precedes the Renaissance's expansion. c. 1350 Boccaccio completes the Decameron Boccaccio's collection of stories becomes a landmark of vernacular literature and Renaissance sensibility. 1377 Papacy returns to Rome The papal return from Avignon strengthens Rome's role in the patronage networks that help nourish Renaissance art and learning. 1401 Florence baptistery competition begins The competition for the bronze doors of the Florence Baptistery becomes a defining moment in early Renaissance art. c. 1415 Brunelleschi develops linear perspective Experiments in perspective transform pictorial space and become foundational for Renaissance visual art. 1434 Medici dominance in Florence begins Cosimo de' Medici's political ascendancy helps make Florence the leading center of Renaissance patronage. 1436 Florence Cathedral dome is completed Brunelleschi's dome for Santa Maria del Fiore becomes an engineering and architectural triumph of the age. c. 1440 Gutenberg perfects movable-type printing Printing accelerates the spread of learning, classical texts, and new ideas across Europe. 1453 Fall of Constantinople The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople contributes to the movement of Greek scholars and texts into western Europe. 1485 Birth of Botticelli's Birth of Venus era By the late fifteenth century, mythological painting exemplified by Botticelli reflects the classical turn in Renaissan… 1492 Columbus reaches the Americas Atlantic exploration widens Europe's horizons and reshapes the world connected to Renaissance expansion. 1495 Leonardo paints The Last Supper Leonardo da Vinci's mural becomes one of the defining works of High Renaissance art. 1503 Leonardo begins the Mona Lisa The portrait becomes one of the best-known works associated with High Renaissance painting. 1508 Michelangelo begins Sistine Chapel ceiling The papal commission produces one of the supreme achievements of Renaissance art. 1513 Machiavelli completes The Prince The treatise becomes one of the most influential works of Renaissance political thought. 1517 Reformation begins Martin Luther's challenge to the Catholic Church transforms the religious world shaped by Renaissance humanism and prin… 1543 Copernicus publishes De revolutionibus The heliocentric argument becomes a pivotal moment in Renaissance science. 1564 Michelangelo dies The death of Michelangelo symbolically marks the end of the High Renaissance generation.