Vocabulary Flashcards: The Italian Renaissance, Black Death, and Early Modern Europe

Vocabulary flashcards covering major people, events, and ideas from the Italian Renaissance, the Black Death, and related Europe-wide developments.

Black Death

Two-thirds of Europe’s population died; carried by rats with infected fleas.

Great Schism (Western Schism)

A division within the Catholic Church that began in 1378.

Hundred Years' War

War from 1337–1453 between England and France that changed warfare, fostered national identities, and strengthened centralized state power.

Fall of the Byzantine Empire (1453)

Ottoman Turks captured Constantinople, helping spread texts that fed Renaissance ideas.

Constantinople

Capital of the Byzantine Empire; fell to the Ottoman Turks in 1453.

Renaissance

A rebirth of classical learning and wisdom, starting in Italian city-states like Florence; marked by humanism, art, and new ideas.

Petrarch

Often called the father of humanism; revived interest in classical Latin and humanist scholarship.

Florence

Starting point of the Renaissance; a wealthy city-state with strong patronage of the arts.

Italian city-states

Distinct states in Italy with no political unity; centers of wealth and culture that fueled Renaissance patronage.

Papal States

Territories in central Italy ruled by the pope.

Medici family

Wealthy Florentine bankers and rulers; major patrons of Renaissance art.

Lorenzo the Magnificent

Lorenzo de' Medici, a prominent Medici patron and leader in Florence.

Filippo Brunelleschi

Pioneer Renaissance architect; rebuilt San Lorenzo and contributed to Florentine architectural developments.

Botticelli

Painter known for secular and mythological works, including The Birth of Venus.

Donatello

Master sculptor who created the bronze David.

Leonardo da Vinci

The quintessential Renaissance man; painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

Mona Lisa

Leonardo da Vinci’s famous portrait.

The Last Supper

Leonardo da Vinci’s renowned mural depicting Jesus with his disciples.

Michelangelo

Artist who painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling and sculpted David; associated with Mannerism.

Sistine Chapel ceiling

Michelangelo’s monumental ceiling frescoes in the Vatican.

David (Michelangelo)

Michelangelo’s celebrated sculpture of the biblical hero David.

Raphael

Papal artist known for the School of Athens and numerous Madonna paintings.

School of Athens

Raphael’s fresco celebrating classical philosophers and humanist ideals.

Birth of Venus

Botticelli’s iconic mythological painting.

Northern Renaissance

Renaissance style outside Italy; emphasized religious themes, Christian humanism, and everyday life.

Christian humanism

Movement combiningChristian ethics with humanist learning and inquiry.

Desiderius Erasmus

Leading Christian humanist who promoted education and biblical study.

The Praise of Folly

Erasmus’s satirical work critiquing society and the Church; advocated education and reform.

Thomas More

English humanist who wrote Utopia, a work on social reform and ideal society.

Utopia

More’s book describing an ideal, peaceful society.

Printing press

Gutenberg’s invention (c.1455) that accelerated the spread of ideas and literacy.

Gutenberg

Johannes Gutenberg, inventor of the movable-type printing press.

Gutenberg Bible

The first major book printed with movable type (c.1455–56).

Vernacular literature

Literature written in local languages rather than Latin, increasing accessibility.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Northern Renaissance painter known for biblical themes and peasant scenes.

Jan van Eyck

Pioneering Northern Renaissance painter renowned for advanced oil painting techniques.

Oil painting

A medium that allowed richer color and detail, prominent in Northern Renaissance art.

Marsilio Ficino

Transplanted Plato’s ideas into Renaissance thought and helped revive Platonic love.

Platonic love

Concept revived in the Renaissance, emphasizing idealized, non-physical love informed by Plato.

Lorenzo Valla

Scholar who demonstrated that the Donation of Constantine was a forgery.

Philology

Study of language and historical texts to understand historical sources.

Pico della Mirandola

Philosopher who argued for human potential and free will in On the Dignity of Man.

On the Dignity of Man

Pico della Mirandola’s key work on human potential and free will.

Secularism

Movement toward nonreligious perspectives and inquiry in culture and society.

Individualism

Emphasis on personal self and individual achievement over collective norms.

Republic of Florence

The Florentine political structure; a republic where powerful families and patrons influenced culture.