Lifelong Learning Programme

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Centuries

From this page you can select one of the last ten centuries. Clicking on the chosen link you can access to a description of European art in the selected century, a list of main artists and artworks of the period and an historical map.

Timeline

The 11th Century

The 11th Century

In European culture the eleventh century is considered the beginning of the High Middle Ages, more generally termed the Early Middle Ages and included in the period of time known as the Dark Ages. By the eleventh century Egypt and Chola India had reached the peak of their military might and international influence and outstanding achievements in medieval Islamic techn... continue
The 12th Century

The 12th Century

The twelfth century saw the rediscovery of Latin and Greek texts in the Renaissance of Byzantine art and the growing demand for education lead to an increasing number of universities in Europe, such as in Oxford and Paris. The Gothic style developed in Paris in the mid 1100s and alongside the Romanesque movement began to spread through Europe. Pilgrimage and war helpe... continue
The 13th Century

The 13th Century

The thirteenth century or ‘High Middle Ages’ saw a more learned and less superstitious Europe a radical change in technologies such as the first European paper mill in Italy and the developing Gothic architecture spread through Europe and was to remain a popular style until the 1500s producing a great number of Europe’s early castles and cathedrals. At the end ... continue
The 14th Century

The 14th Century

The fourteenth century saw the founding and dominance of the Ottoman State (the occupancy of Gallipoli in 1354 gained the first foothold in Europe) and the new and powerful Ming Dynasty create a new capital in Beijing and build the Great Wall of China to protect its lands. The Great Famine swept through Europe followed by The Black Death which reached Europe in the mi... continue
The 15th Century

The 15th Century

The fifteenth century marked the beginning of the European Renaissance and saw Europe make stronger connections with the rest of the world. It was the heart of the renaissance in Italy and the century when Gutenberg introduced the printing press to Europe and enabled a rapid circulation of ideas. Interest in Europe’s elite and merchant classes and a revival of roma... continue
The 16th Century

The 16th Century

The sixteenth century was a time of social change, renaissance and warfare for Europe. The century began with the opening of the ‘New World’ and a growing European population. The economy was growing throughout Europe. The mechanisms of commerce, the introduction of the Columbian Exchange, international finance, ocean-going trading fleets and an entrepreneurial b... continue
The 17th Century

The 17th Century

The Seventeenth Century is seen as the beginning of the Early Modern Period, it was the Late Renaissance when the style of Mannerism has bridged the way to the beginning of the Baroque style developing in Rome. Europe was torn by warfare due in large part to religious divisions at the beginning of the century, the Thirty Years War, the Great Turkish War, the End of th... continue
The 18th Century

The 18th Century

The eighteenth century saw the maturation of the modern state and domestic stability. For 80 years no state threatened to dominate Europe and a balance of power existed although trouble brewed in Eastern Europe as Russia grew at Poland and Turkey’s expense and France and England continued to battle over colonies particularly in America and India. Two international c... continue
The 19th Century

The 19th Century

The nineteenth century world was a world dominated by the aggressive imperialism from a newly united Great Britain and the development of nationalism in countries such as Italy battling for unification. The century witnessed the end of the Holy Roman and the crumbling of the Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese and Ottoman empires. After the Napoleonic Wars the newly formed ... continue
The 20th Century

The 20th Century

At the turn of the 19th / 20th centuries Victorian ‘fussiness’ was gradually abandoned for clean design (echoed by new art forms, different ways of writing, modern furniture and buildings, and a new ‘scientific’ outlook). From the 1920s, the broadcast media began to have tremendous impact on opinion-forming and education. The twentieth century in Europe began... continue

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