Unit 1 Key Terms: Renaissance and Exploration

Flashcards for AP European History Unit 1 covering Renaissance humanism, state building, and European exploration.

What was the Feudal System?

A political, military, and social system in the Middle Ages based on the holding of lands in fief and relations between lord and vassal.

What was The Great Schism (1414-1418) and how was it resolved?

A crisis in the late medieval church when there were two competing popes, in France and in Rome. It was ended by the Council of Constance.

How is the Renaissance defined?

The humanistic revival of classical art, architecture, literature, and learning that originated in Italy in the 14th century and later spread throughout Europe.

How was an Oligarchy formed in northern Italian city-states?

Through the merger of the northern Italian feudal nobility and the commercial elite, creating a small, powerful group of individuals who ruled a city and surrounding countryside.

What was the political reality behind Italian City-States that claimed to be a Republic?

While many claimed to be a republic and some had a constitution, almost all were actually controlled by a small group of elites.

What was Humanism during the period from 1400 to 1650?

The predominant social philosophy and intellectual and literary movement that returned to favor classical learning, stimulating secularism, appreciation of worldly pleasures, personal independence, and individual expression.

What core values were emphasized by Individualism during the Renaissance?

Personality, uniqueness, genius, and the full development of one's capabilities and talents.

Who was Nicolo Machiavelli and what was the main idea of his famous essay, The Prince?

A Florentine diplomat and historian (1469-1527) who described realistic government with a strong leader concerned solely with political power and success, holding that it is better to be feared than loved.

Who was Baldassare Castiglione and what concept did his book establish?

An Italian diplomat (1478-1529) who published The Book of the Courtier, establishing the archetype of the 'Renaissance man' versed in liberal arts and social graces.

What major historical discovery is Lorenzo Valla best known for?

Using textual analysis to prove that the Donation of Constantine was a forgery.

What was Christian Humanism and what movement did it help encourage?

A Renaissance movement combining interest in human nature with Christian faith that impacted art, religious scholarship, and personal spirituality, helping to encourage the Protestant Reformation.

What society was depicted in Thomas More's Utopia (1516)?

An imaginary society based on reason and tolerance that overcame social and political injustice by holding all property and goods in common, serving as a criticism of contemporary society.

Who was Desiderius Erasmus and what did he criticize in The Praise of Folly?

A Dutch scholar known as the 'Prince of Northern Humanists' (1465-1536) who criticized the lack of spirituality in the Church and ridiculed superstition, ignorance, and vice among Christians and Church leadership.

What role did Patrons play in the Renaissance?

They were kings, popes, and wealthy individuals who provided financial support to artists such as musicians, painters, and sculptors.

What was the Querelle de Femmes?

Meaning 'the woman question,' it was a literary debate about the nature and status of women that began around 1500 and continued beyond the end of the Renaissance.

Who was Christine de Pizan?

A French Renaissance writer who authored some of the first feminist literature and broke with traditional female roles at a time when women lacked legal rights and were considered property.

What were the major provisions of the Pragmatic Sanction of the Bourges (1438)?

Issued by Charles VII of France, it asserted the superiority of a general council over the papacy, gave the French crown control over bishop appointments, and deprived the pope of French ecclesiastical revenues.

What was the purpose of the Court of the Star Chamber established by Henry VII?

It applied principles running counter to English common law to curb aristocratic trouble making.

What were Hermandades in Spain?

Local town 'brotherhoods' used by Isabella and Ferdinand to act as police forces and judicial tribunals to curb aristocratic rebellion, using harsh punishments until disbanded in 1498.

What was the Treaty of Lodi (1454-1455)?

A 1454 peace agreement that ended decades of war among major Italian city-states caused by Milanese expansionism, establishing a balance of power in Italy until the 1494 French invasion.

Who was Girolamo Savonarola?

A Dominican friar in Florence who preached against corruption, expelled the Medici, but was eventually excommunicated and executed for criticizing the Pope.

What was the Columbian Exchange?

A period of cultural and biological exchanges (plants, animals, diseases, and technology) between the New and Old Worlds that transformed European and Native American life.

What was the primary function of an Astrolabe in navigation?

Measuring the altitudes of celestial bodies to calculate latitude.

How did the stern-post rudder and triangular lateen sails improve maritime travel?

They made ships like the caravel more maneuverable and capable of carrying more cargo.

Who was Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460)?

A Portuguese royal prince, soldier, and patron of maritime explorers.

What route did Vasco da Gama complete in 1497?

He led a Portuguese fleet around the Cape of Good Hope to Calicut, India.

What was established by the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)?

It set the Line of Demarcation (drawn in 1493) to divide Spanish and Portuguese possessions in the Americas.

Who was Hernando Cortes (1485-1547)?

A Spanish conquistador who initiated the conquest of the Aztec Empire on behalf of Charles V in the early 16th century.

What achievement is associated with Ferdinand Magellan's (1480-1521) expedition?

Commissioned by Charles V to find a spice route to Asia, his expedition became the first to circumnavigate the Earth.

What did Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) accomplish on his voyages?

Sailing west for Spain to find a passage to the Indies, he reached Cuba, the Canary Islands, and Hispaniola, sparking widespread Spanish exploration of North America.

What was the Encomienda System?

A system granting Spanish conquerors the right to force native populations into agricultural and mining labor in the Americas.

What was Tenochtitlan?

The central city of the Aztec Empire.

What is a Conquistador?

A conqueror, specifically referring to Spanish conquerors of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century.

What role did a Viceroy play?

A ruler who exercised authority in a colony on behalf of a sovereign ruler.

What was the Price Revolution?

A series of economic events from the late 15th to early 17th century characterized by high inflation rates across Western Europe.

What made the Dutch East India Company unique upon its founding in 1602?

It monopolized the spice trade and became the world's first publicly traded multinational corporation.

How does a Joint Stock Company function?

Individuals buy shares in a business entity to receive dividends on their investment while limiting personal financial risk.

What historical distinction does the Bank of Amsterdam hold?

Founded in 1609, it became the first deposit and transfer financial institution in Europe.