While Medieval art was always religious in nature, Renaissance art was not, because it was commissioned by both religious and secular patrons. As a result, Renaissance art could be found in both religious and secular spaces, not just churches or monasteries. Renaissance art also used new artistic techniques such as perspective, making it far more lifelike than anything produced in the Middle Ages.

Renaissance Florence was home to the Medici family, who ruled the city and financed many of its most famous artists. While many wealthy Italian families were patrons of the arts in this period, the artists associated with the Medici included visionaries such as Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Donatello.

The printing press, invented in the mid-fifteenth century, greatly increased literacy rates and drastically changed the social makeup of Europe. Before the new invention, books were mainly produced in Latin by the Church. Therefore, the printing press did help the Protestant Reformation, but it also helped to educate a growing middle class of laymen. The fact that books were read for pleasure only heightened the demand for them, and although high-class intellectuals were also taking advantage of printing, it was the common man's desire to read that contributed most to the rise in literacy rates.

The Mughal Empire was originally founded in 1536 by Babur, a distant descendent of the notorious Genghis Khan. Over time, the Empire grew into one of history’s largest kingdoms, eventually assuming control over nearly the entire Indian subcontinent. Although the Empire had many illustrious rulers, Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, is most often lauded for ushering in his people’s golden age. An avid student of architecture, Islamic teachings, and military leadership, Shah Jahan sponsored numerous construction projects throughout his Empire. Among his many inspired creations are the Gardens of Lahore, the Red Fort, and, of course, the breath-taking Taj Mahal (originally built as a magnificent memorial to his favorite wife, the Empress Mumtaz Mahal).

Through most of it's history, the Italian peninsula was broken up into individual city-states. These states were governed independently. Some took the form of monarchies, some were under control of the Pope, and many were governed by wealthy merchant families such as the Medicis. There was no centralized Italian government at the time. This city-state structure is one of the leading reasons the Renaissance took shape in Italy first. The decentralized structure allowed for a wider range of ideas, as well as a wealthier noble class to fund such cultural advancements. 

French Salons were centers of art, such as painting and sculpture.

Although Salons were attended by many military officials, firearms tests and military drills were not a part of Salon culture.

The Salons were largely secular affairs, if clergy attended they were not in charge.

Calculus was invented in Britain in the 1600s, not in French Salons in the 1700s.