16th century

The century spanning 1501 through 1600, marked by Renaissance culture, the Protestant Reformation, and expanding European overseas empires.

Protestant Reformation: A 16th-century movement that challenged Roman Catholic authority and established Protestant churches across Europe. Its spread transformed European religious and political life.
Columbian exchange: The transfer of organisms, people, diseases, and cultures between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia after 1492. European oceanic expansion linked continents through lasting biological and demographic change.
Martin Luther: A German theologian whose criticism of indulgences helped launch the Protestant Reformation. His writings became a catalyst for religious division across Europe.
Renaissance: A cultural movement emphasizing classical learning and new artistic and intellectual practices, beginning in Italy and spreading across Europe. Its humanist scholarship and artistic traditions shaped much of the century’s culture.
15th century: The century spanning 1401 through 1500 in the Gregorian calendar. It contains the earlier Renaissance and voyages that prepared conditions for 16th-century expansion.
Spanish colonization of the Americas: Spain’s conquest and settlement of territories in the Americas after 1492. Spanish expansion made overseas empire a defining force of the century.
Atlantic slave trade: The forced transportation of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic, chiefly to labor in the Americas. Colonial economies increasingly relied on the trafficking and forced labor of Africans.
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor: A Habsburg ruler who governed the Holy Roman Empire and a vast transatlantic monarchy. His reign faced both Protestant dissent and expanding Spanish power overseas.
Age of Discovery: The period of sustained European maritime exploration and overseas expansion beginning in the 15th century. Voyages begun before 1501 opened routes that empires expanded during this century.
17th century: The century spanning 1601 through 1700 in the Gregorian calendar. It followed this century’s religious conflicts and imperial expansions with new political and scientific developments.

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