What Does century Mean
Century is a concept that refers to a period of one hundred years . This period of time is also known as a century . For example: “A century has passed since the birth of the writer Julio Cortázar” , “This town was founded a century ago, when the army managed to conquer the lands that belonged to the aborigines” , “The Church of the Santísima Trinidad de Segovia already it has several centuries of history ” .
According to the Gregorian calendar , we are currently passing through the 21st century . This calendar is divided between the years before Christ and the years after Christ , a division marked by the date on which Christ was supposed to have been born . After the last day of the year 1 BC , the first day of the year 1 AD began (that is, there never was a “year zero” ).
With this in mind, the first century (after Christ) began on January 1, year 1, and ended on December 31, year 100 . The second century , thus, began on January 1, 101 . This means that the 21st century began on January 1, 2001 and will come to an end on December 31, 2100 .
The century is one of the most widely used units of time as it is useful for referring to various historical events. It also allows grouping different events and personalities, giving rise to periods such as the Age of Enlightenment or the Golden Age.
The 18th century is, specifically, what is known as the Age of Enlightenment and it is during it that the birth and consolidation of the Enlightenment took place, the cultural movement that what it intended was to bet at all times for the reason . And it is that those who defended it affirmed that that was the only one to be able to face the abuses of power, ignorance, tyranny and even superstition in general.
Jovellanos, Voltaire, Montesquieu and Rousseau are some of the characters who defended the Enlightenment at all costs in their corresponding countries.
On the other hand, we find the so-called Spanish Golden Age of which there are many positions about the time it covers. Specifically, there are those who consider that it really lasted more than a century and those who determine some dates or others regarding the beginning and end of it. However, it developed between the 16th and 17th centuries.
Of this cited century it stands out, above all, that it became a true milestone within what was the cultural sphere of the country. Why? Because during it, countless great figures from the world of literature and painting lived and exercised their artistic work, who are a reference and a pillar. We are referring to characters such as Diego Velázquez, El Greco, Esteban Murillo, Zurbarán, Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina, Pedro Calderón de la Barca, Francisco de Quevedo, Luis de Góngora or even Miguel de Cervantes.
When longer time periods need to be considered, the notion of millennium is appealed to : a period of one hundred centuries (that is, one thousand years ).