The modern age marks important events for society, some of which are still used today. It was a very significant time in history for different reasons, here we will tell you about it below.
What period does the Modern Age refer to?
Universal history is divided into historical periods. The Modern Age is the fourth of these, behind Prehistory, the Ancient Age and the Middle Ages. It was the era that began with the discovery of America and ended with the French Revolution. It was characterized as an era with great political, religious and economic changes.
What date and century is the Modern Age?
The Modern Age is between the 15th century and 18th century. According to the known chronology, his period begins in 1492 and ends in 1789.
What are the most important events of the Modern Age?
In the year 1492, the renowned Christopher Columbus, a navigator at the service of the Spanish Royalty, begins his maritime expedition that leads him to discover America. The European powers conquered the American continent with their passing years later.
Years later, in 1517, Martin Luther started the Protestant Reformation in Germany. In 1519, the Aztec Empire was conquered by Hernán Cortés, and in 1535, the same thing happened with the Inca Empire by Francisco Pizarro. The Catholic Counter-Reformation began, there were intense changes in the religious institution, this occurred in 1545. The well-known Gregorian calendar was established in 1582, still used today in many countries.
In 1642 and 1688 the English Revolution was generated, they were clashes between members of Parliament and the Absolute Monarchy to gain political power. In 1688 and 1689 the Absolutist Monarchy in England ended at the hands of the Glorious Revolution, and the Parliamentary Monarchy was consecrated.
In the year 1700 a group of Bourbon Reforms began with the purpose of modernize the Spanish Monarchy. In 1760 the First Industrial Revolution began in England. The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America was signed in 1776. It culminated in the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, defeating the Monarchy and completely changing the established power structures of France.
What are the characteristics of the Modern Age?
The Modern Age was and is a very important Era in the history of mankind. It has relevant characteristics like the following:
- It was possible that different societies in different places they will begin to interact and come into contact when they were complete strangers.
- Extensive conquests were launched thanks to the discoveries of geographical territories and societies of Asia and America.
- Exploration through the Atlantic Ocean was intensified, then the Indian Ocean and also the Pacific Ocean, in the search for new market routesthis at the hands of Spain and Portugal.
- In the Modern Age it began with the colored slave trade, which were captured in Africa and transferred to America, where they were sold to the upper social classes. This was done throughout this era.
- New ideas of thought and philosophies were initiated, such as the empiricism and rationalism. These allowed a different coexistence in societies. With the development of the printing press, it was possible to produce millions of books with these systems and thus their dissemination spread.
- In Europe, at the beginning of the 17th century, the population expanded due to a demographic explosion that increased the number of inhabitants, from 95 to 130 million.
- Thanks to the Protestant Reformation, the union of the Catholic Church came to an end. The Modern Age was the beginning of serious arguments and conflicts between different religions.
- The kings elaborated plans and strategies to increase the power in themselves, this strengthened the monarchy as a political system.
- Because of the crises caused by religious disagreements, by monarchies and control of the territory, there was a endless armed conflicts among the states of Europe.
- Thanks to the Modern Age, the Bourgeoisie was gaining political and economic power in society, they even occupied important places in monarchies.
Art of the Modern Age
The events that were part of the Modern Age greatly influenced the art of the time. Different perspectives and beliefs are born that were represented from there in the works, these were different techniques from the ones they used to use in the medieval period. Artists begin to have prestige in societies when, thanks to all the changes, it is possible for them to abandon anonymity. Renaissance art stops offering religious material in its works and begins to incorporate feelings, desires, the human body, among others. This generated what is known as portraits, landscapes, nude works, and mythologies.
The artists sought to show the world in its most realistic modern state, but at the same time, they wanted to show only its beauty. In the works, chiaroscuro stood out, which is an artistic technique used to give volume to bodies. This, accompanied by perspective, resulted in wonderful works that they are very recognized. They had to acquire knowledge in other areas so that they could understand issues of anatomy, optics, geometry and mathematics, and thus their works would make more sense.
In the art of the Modern Age one finds artistic currents important to history. Which are: the Renaissance, the Baroque and the Rococo.
The renaissance of the Modern Age
The Renaissance was and remains a fairly broad and very relevant cultural movement. It was generated in Europe in the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. Its name was assigned to it in the 19th century, by the French historian Jules Michelet. It brought with it a renewal in the arts, sciences and philosophical thought of the time. He is originated in Florence, Italy, in the year 1400.
It was a cultural manifestation that caused changes in the mentality of Europeans, they went from having medieval ideas to anthropic ideas. This was about emphasizing the immense faculty that human beings have to access knowledge through reason. The Renaissance refers to the reincorporation of values after the Middle Ages.
The Renaissance generated a new cultural era, universities, palaces and town halls began to be built. Before him, only churches were performed. Their advances were slow, but they achieved the sought-after significant changes for the innovation and progress of humanity.
The Baroque and the Rococo accompany the Renaissance at this time. The Baroque was an artistic style based on contrasts, colour, movement and sensitivity. In architecture some important constructions were created, one of them is the Palace of Versailles. Rococo was characterized by its focus on architectural decorations and painting.
Are the Modern Age and the Contemporary Age the same?
possess relevant differences in their periodization, but, in summary, in the economy and politics are the most marked aspects of the time. In the Modern Age the absolutist monarchy was predominant in its mandate, the kings were the ones who had every right to decide. In the Contemporary Age, national States began to be established, the republican system predominated. Economically, in the Modern, wealth is measured based on the possession of precious stones. Mercantilism is used and over the years capitalism begins to be explored, driven by the Industrial Revolution. But in the Contemporary, it is when it begins to become the economic model that, for the most part, prevails to date worldwide.
