During the High Renaissance (late 1400s – early 1500s) sculptors often modeled their work after ancient Roman and Greek sculptures. These sculptors influenced the Church, with Pope Julius II (r.1503-1513) treating his Roman statues as prized possessions and consequently the antiquity-inspired sculptures eventually became part of the Vatican museum. Famous artists such as Michalangelo often used ancient Roman and Greek works as an influence for their creations. 

Raphael (1483-1520) made numerous self-portraits as well as two paintings of Saint George. Famous works of his include The Entombment of Christ (1508) and The School of Athens, which took him two years to complete between 1509 and 1511. Raphael’s painting Transfiguration (1520) is one of his most complicated and realistic paintings. 

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) was an architect, inventor, scientist, engineer, and painter, making him one of the most influential figures of the Renaissance and all of Western Civilization. One of his most famous paintings, The Last Supper, portrayed a simple yet beautiful portrait of Jesus and his disciples. 

Michelangelo (1474-1564) was a marble carver at heart, but he had innumerable other skills in the field of art. Pieta (1498-1499) was a sculpture made by Michelangelo depicting in great detail the Virgin Mary holding Jesus after His death of the Cross. In 1501, Michelangelo started his work on his 15-foot-tall Statue of David. He was also commissioned by Pope Julius II to build a tomb for him. Michelangelo made Julius’s tomb large and intricate, with three marble statues adorning it. After refusing multiple offers, Michelangelo agreed to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. In the same cathedral he also painted a massive fresco of the Last Judgement on the altar wall.

One of the most sought after painters in Europe during the early 16th century was Titian (1485-1576), who made the painting David and Goliath, which was revolutionary because it made the viewer seem as if they were watching the fight from below. Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) was a painter, woodcutter, and engraver. His art remained thoroughly medieval, so he is considered one of the great painters of the Renaissance. Durer’s famous works include The Knight, Death, and The Devil, as well as The Four Apostles. 

The Northern Renaissance (late 15th century – 16th century) was the time period when Renaissance ideas were imported from Italy north to France, Germany, and England. Johann Reuchlin (1455-1522) was a key figure of this era in Germany, and he studied Greek and Hebrew. Erasmus (1466-1536) was from the Netherlands and was ordained a priest in 1492. One of the first clergy to promote Sola Scriptura, he heavily influenced Protestants such as Martin Luther. Erasmus condemned the Catholic Church and thought that Christianity needed to be simpler. 

Pope Martin V (r. 1417-1431) restored order in Rome after the papacy had returned there and safeguarded the city for pilgrims and merchants. Order had been lost during the Avignon Papacy when individual cities had usurped papal privileges and refused to give them up even after facing excommunication. Instead of using religious power, Pope Martin V and other popes after him used political and military power to restore order instead of religious power after this. 

Pope Nicholas V (r.1447-1455) used alliances with the Italian city-states of Venice, Milan, and Florence to ensure direct Papal rule of Italy. Nicholas also invited scholars from across Europe to Rome to make sure the city became the center of literature and arts on the continent. Under the reigns of Calixtus III (r.1455-1458) and Pious II (r.1458-1464) most of the Papacy’s time was spent handling the growing threat of Ottoman muslims in Eastern Europe. 

Instead of dealing with the Ottomans like previous popes, Paul II (r.1464-1471) concerned himself with the growth of humanism while Sixtus IV (r.1471-1484) elected his relatives to influential positions thus scandalizing the Vatican. Pope Sixtus’ lackluster reign caused humanists (who had been dismissed by Paul II) to come back into positions in the Church. Popes Innocent VIII (r.1484-1492) and Alexander VI (r.1492-1503) both had love affairs during their rule and had children while in the Vatican, causing even more scandal. 

Julius II (1503-1513) restored order to the Catholic Church by dismantling strongmen who had taken power and returned papal control over Italian city states. Leo X (r.1513-1521) tried to institute much-needed reforms, but was not a formidable enough leader to enforce them.