Niccolò Machiavelli was born on May 3rd, 1469 in Florence, Italy and died on June 21st, 1527. He was a diplomat for 14 years, 1494-1508. He wrote political treatises like " The Prince." He was also known to be the " father of modern political theory." This book impacted the rulers of Europe because the political ways in Europe changed after many rulers read his book.

Martin Luther was a monk who questioned the practices of the Catholic Church. On October 31,1517 he wrote a list of 95 points where he thought the church had gone wrong then nailed it to the door on a Catholic Church. Shortly after, many Catholics made less money. The biggest issue to Martin was having to pay for forgiveness. This list of disagreements led to a series of wars called the "thirty years war."

Johannes Gutenberg was born in Mainz, Germany around the year 1398. He invented the printing press in 1450. After inventing the printing pres, thousands of books were being made and published. One of the first books published that gave Johannes his fame was the Bible.

Raphael was born on April 6th, 1483 in Urbino, Italy. He learned the basics of painting from his father. His father passed away when he was 11 years old. After he passed, Raphael would go into his father's workshop and practice his painting skills. After a few years, he was considered the most skilled artist in Uribino. At 17, Raphael moved to Perugia, Italy and worked with a famous artist named Pietro Perugino for 4 years. In 1508, Pope Julius II invited Raphael to decorate some rooms for him and after that he become very well known.