Medieval Europe Flashcards
Why did Europeans want to go and explore the world?
Gold, God, and Glory
Why did the Europeans want to spread their religion?
Because the Europeans are naturally superior and Christianity is the only true faith
Why did the Europeans want to get fame?
They NEED to be in the history books
How did the Europeans want to get money?
They wanted to control the trade routes to the east to cut out the middleman
What are some inventions that helped sea travel?
Magnetic compass, astrolabe, etc.
Why is the phrase “New World” in quotes?
There were already people living there
What does the word “Renaissance” mean?
Rebirth
Why does the Renaissance mean rebirth?
They wanted a redo from where they were currently at (Black Death and failure of Crusades)
What civilizations did the Europeans look back at during the Renaissance?
Ancient Greece and Rome
What big idea/philosophy came to Europe during the Renaissance?
Humanism
What does humanism believe in?
All people have the ability to control their own lives and can achieve greatness in this life
Where did the Renaissance start?
Florence
Why did the Renaissance start in Italy?
Its location on the Mediterranean was a crossroads for travelers from the east and west - travelers brought goods ad ideas
Why did Florence attract so many visitors?
Trade/commerce (hub for wool trading, Europe’s banking center), studying art with Florentine masters, learning at the libraries and schools
What were Florentines influenced by?
The freedom of ideas, the core of Humanism
Who were the Medicis?
The family that dominated Florence
How did the Medici family gain their wealth?
Banking
What kinds of people did the Medici family sponsor?
Artists and thinkers
How powerful was the Medici family?
Very powerful - Catherine Medici was married to the king of France, they also influenced many of the great thinkers of the time
What did sculptures look like before the Renaissance?
Relief statues (carved into a wall), subjects were clothed
What did sculptures look like after the Renaissance?
Freestanding and viewed in round
What were some advancements in art during the Renaissance?
Depicting people in lifelike ways, showing emotions, realistic backgrounds, perspective, shading/3D
How did science and math contribute to advancement in painting?
Artists used geometry to give proper spacing and studied anatomy to see how bodies moved to portray them more realistically
What type of paint was developed during the Renaissance?
Oil-based paints
What was literature like before the Renaissance?
About religious topics, had a formal, impersonal tone, written in Latin, meant for a few highly educated people
What was literature like after the Renaissance?
Represented real-world, individual experiences, expressed thoughts and experiences about life, about secular topics, had vernacular languages
Before the Renaissance, how did people make books?
By hand
What invention made it easier to make copies of written work?
The printing press
How did the printing press make books more widely available?
Books were cheaper, so common people could afford them
With the invention of the printing press, what did the nobility and church lose?
Their control of knowledge
What did Renaissance builders study?
Greek and Roman ruins
What buildings did wealthy families build?
Palazzi (palaces)
What was the structure of palazzi?
1st level were shops, home was above
In Europe, what were the tallest buildings in each town/city?
The churches
Who finished the incomplete Duomo di Santa Maria del Fiore?
Filippo Brunelleschi
What did Brunelleschi invent to lift building material and workers to the top of the Duomo?
Hoists
How does the dome atop the Duomo get supported without internal support?
8 large arches come together to make the dome
What were the main points of the Enlightenment about?
Governmental changes and human rights
What were indulgences?
A payment in return for forgiveness of sins
Who practiced selling indulgences?
The church
What was the problem with indulgences?
Only rich people could afford them
What was excommunication?
Banishment of people from the religious community
What is the impact of being excommunicated?
Soul goes to the bad place
How did Martin Luther become a monk?
He was about to die, but he prayed to God right before, and he lived, so he dedicated his life to God
What did Luther do in his time as a monk?
He studied the Bible
When Luther got invited to Rome, what did he see?
Manipulation and corruption in the church
What did Luther say about the Pope?
He had too much authority
What did Luther write once he saw what was happening to the church?
95 Theses
What was 95 Theses about?
Everything wrong with the church
What were the main points of the 95 Theses?
Only religious book is the Bible, there should be no pope, no indulgences, no more prayers to Mary or Saints, only God, the bread and wine were symbols of God rather than actual transformed parts of him, so it did not have to be done every day, ministers can marry
What was Luther’s movement to reform the church in the 16th century called?
The Protestant Reformation
What was the impact of the Protestant Reformation?
Western Christianity split into two branches - Protestantism and Roman Catholicism
What is the main form of Protestantism that Luther created?
Lutheranism
What was the main reason of Luther’s success in spreading his ideas?
The invention of the printing press happening at the same time
What happened to Luther after he spread his ideas?
Pope Leo X (Medici) excommunicated him
What council did the Holy Roman Emperor hold after the excommunication of Luther?
The Diet of Worms
What was determined in the Diet of Worms?
Luther’s teachings were false, he and his followers were declared heretics in the Edict of Worms
How was Luther protected after the Diet of Worms?
One of his followers, a German prince, let Luther stay in his castle
What was significant about Henry VIII?
He broke away from the church and put the King as the final authority, not the Pope - began the English Reformation
What was significant about Huldrych Zwingli?
He convinced the Zurich local government to ban worship not on the Bible and started the Zwinglian Reformation in Switzerland
What changes did Zwingli make to the church?
In churches, there are no statues or paintings, and in services, there is no music or singing - focused solely on the Bible as the center of religious authority
What were the ideas of John Calvin?
Purgatory was a lie created by the Catholic Church to instill fear on the Church in the Middle Ages, the Old Testament laws still applied to Christians, the Catholic Church was on a destructive path and a reformed Christianity would be the surest path to heaven
What book did Calvin publish his ideas in?
Institutes of the Christian Religion - it was incredibly influential
What was significant about William Tyndale?
He made the King James Bible
