The Renaissance Flashcards
What does the word Renaissance mean?
Rebirth
Why did Catholic power decline during the Renaissance?
Concerns that the Catholic Church was profiting off its followers resulted in shifts to new forms of Christianity.
How did the invention of the printing press affect the dissemination of literature?
It was much quicker and easier to produce books
How did the development of the printing press affect literacy rates?
The literacy levels amongst the lower classes improved with wider access to books
Why did Henry VIII establish the Church of England?
He wanted to divorce his first wife and marry Anne Boleyn
Which of the following is NOT a typical Renaissance feature?
1. Plotlines that occurred in the ancient world
2. Religious narratives
3. Retellings of existing ancient stories
4. Texts that explored definitions of ‘humanity’ (e.g. what makes man ‘man’?).
- Religious narratives
What did the Catholic Church explicitly censor?
Un-Catholic material in literature.
What kinds of philosophical questions did Renaissance writers often explore in their writing?
What does it mean to be good? What does it mean to be human?
In what year was the printing press invented?
1450
What did the Pope say when King Henry VIII asked for a divorce?
No.
Which English monarch accelerated the decline of Catholicism?
Henry VIII
What did the creation of the printing press displace?
Oral storytelling
How did people make books before the invention of the printing press?
They wrote them out by hand
In the Middle Ages, what was the most powerful institution in Europe?
The Catholic Church?
Who is the best-known playwright of the Renaissance?
William Shakespeare
