deck_4304035 Flashcards
Grandi
The old rich, the nobles, and merchants who traditionally ruled the city of Florence
Popolo grosso
The emergent new rich merchant class of capitalists and bankers in Florence. Also known as “fat people.”
Popolo minuto
The “little people” or the lower Florentine economic classes.
Ciompi Revolt
A great successful revolt of the poor in 1378. Resulted in a 4 year reign of power by the lower Florentine classes.
Cosimo de’ Medici
The wealthiest Florentine. Manipulated Florence from behind the scenes by influencing the Constitution and election.
Lorenzo the Magnificent
The grandson of Cosimo de’ Medici. Ruled Florence in a nearly totalitarian fashion. As the podesta, he maintained law and order.
Signoria
Initially made up of six members and later of eight members, this council governed Florence.
Podesta
The title Lorenzo the Magnificent held. The purpose of the office was to maintain law and order. Executive, military, and judicial authority was possessed by the officeholder.
Condottieri
These military brokers provided mercenary armies for despots in Florence.
Machiavelli
Author of “The Prince,” this man detailed how to obtain power, how to use it, and how to keep it.
The Prince
Nicolo Machiavelli’s masterpiece. Machiavelli explained how to obtain power, how to use it, and how to keep it.
Leonardo Bruni
This Florentine first gave the name “humanitas” or “humanity,” to the learning that resulted from the scholarly pursuits of the Renaissance. A pupil of Manuel Chrysoloras.
Manuel Chrysoloras
A Byzantine scholar who opened the world of Greek scholarship to a generation of young Italian humanists when he taught at Florence.
Petrarch
The “father of humanism.” He celebrated ancient Rome in his “Letters to the Ancient Dead.” Also wrote a Latin epic poem named “Africa” and a set of biographies of famous Roman men called “Lives of Illustrious Men.”
Letters to the Ancient Dead
Petrarch’s masterpiece to celebrate ancient Rome.
Africa
Petrarch’s Latin epic poem.
Lives of Illustrious Men
A set of biographies of famous Roman men by Petrarch.
Dante Alighieri
Author of “Vita Nuova” and “Divine Comedy.”
Vita Nuova
An expression of medieval genre of courtly love by Dante Alighieri.
Divine Comedy
An epic poem detailing the Christian afterlife by Dante Alighieri
Giovanni Boccaccio
A student of Petrarch, he was also a pioneer of humanist studies. Authored “Decameron.”
Decameron
100 often bawdy tales by three men and seven women in a country retreat from the plague that ravaged Florence. A stinging social commentary and a sympathetic look at human behavior. Written by Giovanni Boccaccio.
Baldassare Castiglione
The author of “Book of the Courtier.”
Book of the Courtier
Written by Baldassare Castiglione, this was a practical guide for the nobility at the court of Urbino. It embodies the highest ideals of Italian humanism: knowledge of languages and history, athleticism, military skills, musical skills, and chivalry.
Christine de Pisan
This famous noblewoman wrote “The City of Ladies.”
The City of Ladies
A chronicle of the accomplishments of the great women of history. Written by Christine de Pisan.
Florentine Academy
Not a formal school, but an informal gathering of influential Florentine humanists who devoted themselves to the revival of the works of Plato and Neoplatonists.
Lorenzo Valla
The author of the standard Renaissance text on Latin philology and the “Elegances of the Latin Language,” and “Donation of Constantine.”
Elegances of the Latin Language
This work truly embodied the ideas of its author, Lorenzo Valla, by revealing the explosive character of the new learning.
Erasmus
The “prince of the humanists.” Easily the most famous of the northern humanists. Published dialogues under the title “Colloquies.”
Giotto
The father of Renaissance painting. Painted a more natural world than his Byzantine and Gothic predecessors.
Leonardo da Vinci
The true Renaissance man. A painter, a military engineer, a physician, and a botanist. But you know him better for the Mona Lisa.
Raphael
Revered by art historians for his masterpiece “The School of Athens,” this talented painter’s premature death cut short his promising artistic career.
Michelangelo
This melancholy genius is known for masterpieces such as David and frescoes for the Sistine Chapel.
Treaty of Lodi
This agreement brought Milan and Naples in an alliance with Florence against Venice.
