The Renaissance - Key People Flashcards
1
Q
Francesco Petrarch
A
- He was a man from Arezzo, ITALY
- He was a HUMANIST thinker of the early Renaissance.
- He saw the Classical past as a glorious time, and believed the Classical time was far more superior than the medieval times and the time he lived in (early Renaissance). He believed in order for humanists to really be educated, they should study and read sources from the original/classical times.
- He was best known for discovering and translating ancient classical Greek and Roman texts and promoting their study.
- He influenced later humanists to use these classical ideas, and so the “rebirth” of ideas was born - the Renaissance.
2
Q
Erasmus
A
- He was a man from Holland (Netherlands now).
- He was a writer during the Renaissance.
- He believed that the role of the church was to teach and support the faith/importance of humanism. In order to do this, he thought it was necessary to translate the Bible into the common language - vernacular - so more and more people could read it, even the Turks. He thought learning the Bible was important and valuable.
- In this way, he was the first person to translate the Bible, into the vernacular of Europe at the time.
- He was able to influence people because he made them able to read the Bible, and make their own interpretations of it.
3
Q
Michel de Montaigne
A
- He was a man from France.
- He was a French philosopher during the Renaissance.
- He believed people should behave honorably and respect themselves and others around them.
- He began writing his ideas and philosophies as essais, known as essays today. He had created the from of writing in essays.
- He also promoted the ideas of questioning ideas and
developing self-awareness.
4
Q
Leonardo de Vinci
A
- He was a man from Italy.
- He was a scientist, artist, and an architect.
- He was known greatly for his jobs (science, art, and architecture) and was recognized by them.
- He was also a very important figure during the Renaissance, and had been the center of it. He had introduced many new ideas, and invented many new things that are still used today. - Example: He was behind the making/design of the first ever helicopter.
5
Q
Donatello
A
- He was a man from Florence, Italy.
- He was one of the most influential and talented artists during the Renaissance.
- He was the man that developed and invented the unique technique of casting bronze/metal statues. This was used a lot by later artists.
- Donatello was also the first artist to add a sense of
depth to marble sculpture. His statues
became a measure of excellence for the
next hundred years.
6
Q
Nicolaus Copernicus
A
- He was from Poland.
- He was a Polish mathematician and astronomer.
- He used math and his careful observations to create a theory of the universe. Until the late Renaissance, Europeans thought that the Earth was the center of the universe and the other planets and the sun revolved around the Earth.
- His observations and calculations, however, proved that the Earth and the other planets revolved around the sun. He was also able to prove the Earth rotated on its axis once a day.
- His theory was against the church and its teachings, so it wasn’t until 100 years after his death that people began to accept his theory.
- He was considered the father of modern astronomy and science.
7
Q
Geoffery Chaucer
A
- He was from London
- He was an English poet and author.
- He was known as the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages, and was styled as “The Father of Literature.”
- Best known for The Canterbury Tales - a collection of 24 stories - written by him.
8
Q
Sir Tomas More
A
From London, United Kingdom.
- He was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman, politician, and a noted Renaissance humanist.
- He is known for his book Utopia and his death after refusing to acknowledge King Henry VIII as head of the Church of England. This refusal made people see him as a saint.
- He helped spread Christian humanism and by default Reformation throughout Europe.
- He helped England negotiate peace between the religious conflict of Reformation and the ill-mannered government. He gave many politicians at that time the courage to stand against Henry VIII’s decision to disobey the pope.
9
Q
Martin Luther
A
- From Saxony (Germany).
- He was a professor of theology, a composer, a priest, a monk, and he was a seminal figure in the Protestant Reformation.
- He began the Protestant Reformation and became one of the most influential and controversial people in the history of Christianity.
- German religious thinker. Translated the Bible into German. A leading protester and religious reformer against the corruption of the Church.
10
Q
Lorenzo de Medici
A
- He was from Florence, Italy.
- He was a banker, diplomat, politician, and patron of artists and poets. He was a political leader during the Renaissance.
- He ruled the city of Florence and brought great wealth and stability to it. He had a major influence on the Italian Renaissance, through his patronage of the arts and humanism.
11
Q
Sir Francis Bacon
A
- From York House, Strand - the principal route from the City of London to the Palace of Westminster.
- He was a philosopher, scientist, author, statesperson, jurist, author, and politician.
- He was known for developing the scientific method and other scientific ideas/theories that have influenced many scientists and their work.
- He also sought to promote the responsible use of reason, thinking it was an important gift God had given.
12
Q
Henry The Navigator
A
- He was from Portugal.
- He was a prince and a patron of Portuguese explorers.
- He sponsored many voyages of exploration along the coast of Africa.
- He also set up a center at Sagres where cartographers, mathematicians, astronomers, sailors, and navigators from all over Europe gathered to share their knowledge.
They improved navigational instruments and created maps based on the information brought back by Portuguese explorers. They were also able to develop and invent new ideas of exploration and improve old ones.
13
Q
Christopher Columbus
A
- From Genoa, Italy, but lived in Spain.
- He was an explorer/sailor.
- He was the first European to sail and find the Americas. He also greatly influenced exploration and other explorers.
14
Q
Ferdinand Magellan
A
- He was from Portugal.
- He was an explorer/sailor/navigator.
- His voyage was the first voyage recorded to circumnavigate the world.
- While doing so, he had proved that the Earth was round. At the time many people thought it was flat, so he was able to prove them all wrong.
15
Q
Francis Drake
A
- He was from the United Kingdom.
- He was an explorer/sailor, he was an engineer and politician.
- He was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the world, which brought great recognition.
- His attacks on Spanish treasure ships brought lots of wealth to England.
