Renaissance

Question 1

Renaissance

Answer 1

The rebirth of classical antiquity and the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds. It lasted from 1350-1550 and began in Italy, spreading throughout Europe. It was a recovery of problems that occurred in the 1300 and 1400s.

Question 2

Urban Society

Answer 2

Renaissance Italy was an urban society. Townspeople were at the top of the hierarchy, then burghers (artisans, shopkeepers), then the workers and the unemployed.

Question 3

Bubonic Plague - 1347

Answer 3

European kingdoms encountered the plague while finding new ways to trade with Asia. It killed a third of European population.

Question 4

Hundred Years War

Answer 4

Long struggle between England and France over the succession of the French throne. It contributed to some Renaissance ideas, including the creation of better firearms, but slowed down the start of the Renaissance.

Question 5

Secular

Answer 5

Non-religious (the removal of the idea that a religious figure’s controls reality).

Question 6

Milan

Answer 6

One of the richest Italian city-states. Under the rule of the Visconti family and the Sforza dukes, Milan prospered thanks to trade and an efficient tax system.

Question 7

Venice

Answer 7

Venice was a link between Asia and Western Europe, so it drew a lot of traders. This made it an international power. Officially, Venice was supposed to be a republic with an elected leader (doge). But in reality, it was run by a small group of wealthy aristocrats.

Question 8

Florence

Answer 8

Considered to be the cultural center of Renaissance Italy, Florence prospered under the rule of the Medici Family.

Question 9

Sforza Family

Answer 9

After the death of the last Visconti ruler in Milan, a man named Francesco Sforza took over the city-state. Using his band of mercenaries (soldiers who served whoever bid the highest), Milan continued to prosper under his rule. The Visconti and Sforza family worked to build a very strong, efficient, centralized state. Their tax system brought in ginormous amounts of revenue for the government.

Question 10

Naples

Answer 10

Charles VIII, the French King, had control of Naples. The wealth of Italy eventually interested him, and he took his army of 30,000 into Italy and took over Naples. Northern Italian states asked Spain to send troops, and France and Spain fought for 30 years over who is going to control Italy.

Question 11

Michelangelo

Answer 11

Considered to be a High Renaissance Man. His figures on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and his sculpture, named David, depict an ideal human being with perfect proportions. He intended to reflect divine beauty through his paintings and the idea that the more perfect the body, th more godlike the figure is.

Question 12

Raphael

Answer 12

In a lot of his paintings, Raphael was known for depicting a beauty ideal far past human standards. However, he was extremely well known for his frescoes (located in the Vatican Palace). His painting, School of Athens, is of a world full of balance, harmony, and order (these principles are found in ancient Greek and Roman art as well)

Question 13

Printing Press

Answer 13

Because of the invention of the printing press, ideas during the Renaissance could spread a million times faster than before. The printing press made the Renaissance possible.

Question 14

Medici Family

Answer 14

In 1434, the Medici family took control of Florence and ran it behind the scenes. In the late 1400s, however, Florence began to experience a decline economically. The people turned to a Dominican preacher named Savonarola, who eventually gained so many followers that the Medici family handed Florence over to him. People bored of his strict rule quickly, and executed him, returning the Medici family to power.

Question 15

Charles I/V

Answer 15

Charles was the Holy Roman Emperor and the King of Spain, which was the most powerful nation at this time. He was a patron of the arts, but also made Luther an outlaw, fueling the fire between religions that was already lit.

Question 16

1527

Answer 16

This was a turning point in the Italian wars (between France and Spain). In 1527, thousands of troops that served Charles V/I (and mercenaries as well) arrived at room and yelled about how they hadn’t been paid for months. The next day, the troops stored the city, going crazy and shooting and mugging. This is now known as the terrible sack of Rome in 1527, and it ended the Italian wars, leaving Spain as a dominant Italian power.

Question 17

Humanism

Answer 17

One of the key Renaissance values. Humanism is a way of thinking that doesn’t give all importance to divine beings and religion. Instead, potential and values of humans are stressed, human needs are labeled as importance, and rational ways of thinking are stemmed.

Question 18

Castiglione

Answer 18

The author of the Book of the Courtier, which summed up the ideals the perfect Renaissance man and noble should fulfill. They should be talented in everything possible (music, art, arms (most important))

Question 19

Petrarch

Answer 19

Called the father of Italian Renaissance humanism. He did more than anybody else to integrate humanism into daily life. He searched for Latin manuscripts and began humanist emphasis on using classical Latin. Italian humanists, like him, rejected family and used their humanist studies for the state’s service.

Question 20

Gutenburg

Answer 20

Produced the first printed book (it was a Bible) in Germany. He invented the first printing press.

Question 21

1450

Answer 21

The Renaissance brought so much more demand to literature that more books were produced in 1450 than the first 50 years of the printing press combined.

Question 22

Durer

Answer 22

A German artist who was greatly interested by Italian painting techniques. Made two trips to Italy and combined northern painting techniques with Italian techniques.

Question 23

Van Eyck

Answer 23

A Flemish painter who was one of the first people to perfect the skill of oil painting. He used vibrant colors and created striking realism. He painted Giovanni Arnolfi and his Bride.

Question 24

Civic Humanism

Answer 24

A belief that humanism interest should be applied to interest in one’s community.

Question 25

Machiavelli

Answer 25

The author of The Prince. Machiavelli worked in government before quitting his job to write about his findings. He wrote about how to acquire and keep hold of political power. He believed morality had nothing to do with politics, and instead had everything to do with an understanding of human nature. He was the first to abandon the idea that morality was the basis for everything, and his work had an affect on all leaders following.

Question 26

Vernacular

Answer 26

Writing in a language that is widely spoken, not culturally acclaimed. It allowed literature to spread through countries extremely easily.

Question 27

Dante/Chaucer

Answer 27

The Italian author Dante and the English author Chaucer helped spread vernacular. Dante wrote the Divine Comedy, and Chaucer wrote the Canterbury Tales. These books are both widely acclaimed, and thanks to that, they spread vernacular literature throughout Europe.

Question 28

Leonardo Da Vinci

Answer 28

Considered to be the most well rounded Renaissance man (painter, sculptor, architect, and mathematician). He painted the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper.

Question 29

Holbein

Answer 29

Considered to be one of the most accomplished portraitists in the 16th century. Painted The Ambassadors.