The Renaissance (ch13) Flashcards
Why is this time period called the Renaissance?
Many artists and writers believed that they were living in a new golden age, this golden age was later called the Renaissance.
What does the word Renaissance mean?
Renaissance is from a French version of the word meaning “rebirth.”
Who was really in control of the cities in Italy?
Banking families, such as the Medici in Florence, controlled the politics and culture of their cities.
What were communes and where were they located?
The northern Italian cities were communes. Communes were sworn associations of free men seeking complete political and economic independence from local nobles. Merchant guilds that formed communes controlled many aspects of these cities, such as tax rates.
What was an oligarchy?
A small group that ruled a city and its surrounding countryside. Hostilities in these Italian oligarchies usually made communes politically unstable.
What were common people called and why was there unrest among them?
Common Italian people were called popolo. The qualifications required for holding political offices in communes were possessed by very few men. The popolo were disenfranchised, heavily taxed, and excluded from power.
What did the popolo do in response to their unfair conditions?
The popolo used armed force and violence to take over city governments. Many Italian cities converted to Republican governments due to these popolo uprisings.
What were military mercenary leaders called? What were they first used for in Italy?
Condottieri were first used by merchant oligarchies to reassert power after successful popolo uprisings.
What did many condottieri do instead of helping oligarchies reassert their power? What was this called?
Many condottieri took political control of cities, making these Italian cities signori. Signori cities were ruled by only one man, who passed down power to a son.
Were Italian oligarchies democratic?
No, oligarchies only provided this as an illusion. For example, Florence was really only ruled by the Medici family.
How was patronage first used in Italy? Why was it used this way?
In many cities, signori and the most powerful oligarchs transformed their households into courts. They built palaces and required all political business to be conducted there. They filled these palaces with paintings and sculptures through the first form of patronage in order to demonstrate their wealth and power.
Were the city-states of Italy united? Why or why not?
They were divided because Renaissance Italians were politically loyal and felt centered on the local city; this perpetuated the dozens of small states and hindered the development of one unified state.
What type of government were many city-states called by name? Did they function like this type of government, and if not, how did they function?
Many Italian cities were known as republics by name. However, they were not ruled as republics. For example, the republic of Florence was really ruled by the Medici family, as was Milan by the Sforza family.
