lecture five Flashcards
What time frame does the Early Modern Period cover?
Late 15th to late 18th century.
What were key characteristics of the Early Modern Period?
Rise of nation-states, decline of feudalism, humanism, and modern legal foundations.
What major movements shaped the Early Modern Period?
The Renaissance, Reformation, Counter-Reformation, and Enlightenment.
What does “Renaissance” mean and when did it occur?
It means “rebirth” and spanned the 14th–17th centuries.
What invention revolutionized information during the Renaissance?
Gutenberg’s printing press.
Name 3 iconic High Renaissance artists.
Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael.
What themes defined Renaissance culture?
Humanism, classical revival, art/science progress.
Who were the powerful families in Italian city-states?
Medici (Florence), Sforza (Milan).
What were guilds and who were condottieri?
Guilds governed trade; condottieri led mercenary armies.
What sparked the Reformation?
Martin Luther’s 95 Theses in 1517.
What are the five solas of the Reformation?
Sola Scriptura, Gratia, Fide, Christus, Soli Deo Gloria.
Who was St Thomas More?
A lawyer and scholar who wrote Utopia and was executed for defying Henry VIII.
What’s Utopia about?
A critique of society advocating equality, virtue, and a simple legal system with no lawyers.
Who was Erasmus?
A Catholic priest, humanist, and critic of church doctrine; wrote about ethics, Christ’s philosophy, and edited the New Testament.
What defined the Baroque Era?
Grand art/music, state power, Counter-Reformation.
Who were the Jesuits?
A Catholic order active in education and missions, central to the Counter-Reformation.
Who was Cardinal Richelieu and his philosophy?
Minister to Louis XIII; promoted raison d’état and strong central state over individual rights.
What did Richelieu aim for in foreign policy?
A balanced European order led by France.
Who was the “Sun King” and what was his famous phrase?
Louis XIV; “L’état, c’est moi.”
What was the Enlightenment’s central idea?
Reason as the source of legitimacy and societal advancement.
How did culture change during the Enlightenment?
Rise of secularism, individualism, and classicism.
What revolution did the Enlightenment inspire?
The French Revolution (1789).
When was the First Industrial Revolution and where?
1760–1840 in England.
When was the slave trade abolished in Britain?
1793
Key changes during the Industrial Revolution?
Machinery, steam power, urbanization, and new social roles.
What did Montesquieu argue for?
Separation of powers in government (The Spirit of Laws).
What concept did Rousseau introduce?
The social contract – authority must come from the people.
What were Beccaria’s core legal reforms?
Against torture/death penalty; punishment should deter and be humane.
What were Louis XIV’s major reforms?
Army, finances, trade, and nobility control.
