late 15th–16th centuriesReputable sourceWell documented
The Printing Revolution
On the timeline · around late 15th–16th centuries ·
What happened
In the decades after Gutenberg, print exploded across Europe. By 1500, presses in more than 250 towns had produced millions of books, driving down prices and driving up literacy. Cheap printed pamphlets fueled Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation, and printed texts spread the new science and scholarship of the age.
Why it matters
The printing revolution turned the written word from a scarce, hand-copied treasure into a mass medium. It democratized knowledge, shattered the Church's control of information, and made possible the Reformation, the scientific revolution, and modern public opinion.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. The Printing Revolution in Renaissance Europe · Reputable source
Related timelines
- The Renaissance → — The flood of printed books that spread new ideas