European Renaissance Flashcards
Explain the term renaissance and why it was used to describe this period of history
Renaissance means rebirth. People began to believe that they could improve the quality of life that they had known in the Middle Ages and so there was a “rebirth” of interest in education, science, art, literature and music. This lead to a period of major invention and creativity in Europe.
The European Renaissance took place in the:
a) 14th & 15th Centuries
b) 15th & 16th Centuries
c) 17th Century
d) 18th Century
b) 15th and 16th centuries
Where was the renaissance said to have started and why?
It is said to have started in Italy. Italy was situated in a
good position for trade and so the people who lived there came into contact with traders from other places and cultures. This inspired them to think about travel and exploring their world, to make beautiful buildings and art, to think about science and invent things. Trade also brought money into the area which meant there were resources available for art, buildings etc
What did the Italian traders buy from the Arab traders?
gold and spices (from Africa and India)
Name 2 Italian cities that made lots of money from trade at the time of the Renaissance.
Genoa and Venice
where and why was gunpowder first invented?
It was invented in China for use in fireworks to chase away evil spirits
Name 3 inventions that made it possible to explore new parts of the world during the renaissance period?
gunpowder, the magnetic compass and new styles of ships
Explain how gunpowder aided exploration
Gunpowder was used in canons and guns which allowed Europeans to threaten local people and take control of towns along the coast of Africa
Explain how a magnetic compass works and how this would be useful to explorers
The magnetic field around the earth will cause a magnet in a compass to always point north to south. Using a compass together with maps, an explorer could work out in which direction he was going and so avoided getting lost
Why did the Portuguese develop the caravel?
they needed better ships for exploration
the existing ships were too large and heavy
what were the characteristics of the caravel that made it a good design for exploring
it was small - carried 20 people
it could move quickly and was easy to manoeuvre
Give 2 reasons why the Europeans want to explore
1) they wanted to find new ways to reach the East to obtain spices as they wanted to avoid paying the high prices that Arab traders charged for spices
2) to spread the Christian religion
why was sea travel preferable to land travel to reach the East
1) the roads were poor quality
2) the risk of thieves was great
3) many taxes had to be paid whilst travelling through different countries to reach the East
Leonardo da Vinci was a well educated man - true or false
false - he had little early education other than the local priest teaching him to read, write and use an abacus
Why is da Vinci regarded as one of the most important people of the renaissance?
Because he was creative in so many different areas that were important at the time: painting, inventing, science, mathematics, engineering
