world his quiz 1

Primary economic reason for the start of the Renaissance in Italy

International trade and banking

Geographic factor contributing to Italy's role in starting the Renaissance

Its location as a natural crossroad for Europe, Asia, and Africa

Historical connection of the Italian peninsula to classical antiquity

It was the historical heartland of the ancient Roman Empire

Impact of the 1453 fall of the Byzantine Empire on the Italian Renaissance

It drove Greek scholars to flee to Italy with ancient manuscripts, music, and knowledge

Leonardo da Vinci

Italian Renaissance master who painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, and worked as an inventor and scientist

Michelangelo

Renaissance master who sculpted the marble statue of David and painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling

Donatello

Early Renaissance sculptor who broke away from stiff medieval styles to create realistic, freestanding statues like his bronze David

King (Feudal Pyramid)

Position at the very top of the feudal social pyramid that maintained ultimate ownership of all land in the kingdom

Nobility (Feudal Pyramid)

Social class directly below the King that managed large estates (fiefs) and granted land to vassals

Knights (Feudal Pyramid)

Social group on the third level of the feudal social pyramid responsible for providing military protection and loyalty

Peasants (Feudal Pyramid)

Social class at the bottom of the feudal social pyramid that worked the land in exchange for protection

Machiavelli's preferred leadership quality in The Prince

Being feared rather than loved

The end justifies the means

Machiavelli's political concept that a desirable end result excuses whatever harsh methods were used to achieve it

Michelangelo's controversial decision in painting The Last Judgment

Depicting over 300 human figures in near-total nudity and portraying Jesus Christ as a beardless, muscular figure styled after classical pagan models

Institutional effects of the Bubonic Plague in Western Europe

Created severe labor shortages, weakened the feudal system, and reduced unquestioned trust in the Catholic Church

Primary effect of the invention of the printing press

A massive increase in literacy rates and widespread accessibility of books to the general public

Medici family's primary motivation for art patronage

To build political power, project wealth, and gain civic and religious legitimacy

Purpose of da Vinci's use of linear perspective

To create a realistic illusion of three-dimensional depth on a flat surface while directing focus to the emotional core of the work

Bacterium responsible for the Bubonic Plague pandemic

Yersinia pestis

Primary transmission vector of Yersinia pestis during the Black Death

Bites from infected rat fleas (Xenopsylla cheopis) that fed on dying black rats (Rattus rattus)

Economic effect of the Black Death mortality rate on Western Europe

Killed at least one-third of the population, creating labor shortages that shifted economic power from landowners to working peasants

Major social shift resulting directly from the Black Death

The decline of the feudal system and the weakening of traditional manorial structures

Humanism

An outlook or system of thought placing main importance on human potential rather than the divine

Individualism

The habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant, emphasizing the moral worth of the individual

Southern Renaissance

Renaissance movement focused mainly in Italy, emphasizing classicism and individual potential for achievement

Northern Renaissance

Renaissance movement focused mostly in Germany and England, emphasizing realism, humanism, and societal and church reform

Secularism

The principle that civil policy and public affairs should be conducted without religious influence

Classicism

An art style based on using themes, techniques, and subjects from ancient Greece and Rome

Utopia

An imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect

Skepticism

A doubting attitude or casting doubt toward knowledge or claims seen as set beliefs

Patron

A person who gives financial or other support to a person, organization, or cause

Printing Press

A machine by which text and images are transferred from movable type to paper or other media using ink