Renaissance and Gunpowder empires

Renaissance

Rebirth of classical learning and arts (1300–1600); began in Italy due to trade wealth, urban centers, and powerful patrons like the Medici.

Humanism

Focus on human potential, secular subjects, and classical texts.

Secular

Worldly, non-religious; Renaissance emphasized both secular and religious life.

Perspective

Artistic technique for 3D illusion on a flat surface.

Patron

Financial supporter of artists (e.g., Medici family).

Machiavelli

Wrote The Prince, argued rulers should be pragmatic: 'the end justifies the means.'

Michelangelo

Artist/sculptor (Sistine Chapel, David); glorified the human form.

Leonardo da Vinci

Renaissance Man—painter (Mona Lisa), scientist, engineer, inventor.

Martin Luther

German monk who sparked the Reformation in 1517 with his 95 Theses.

Indulgences

Payments for forgiveness; central issue of Reformation.

Protestant Reformation

16th-century religious movement against Catholic corruption.

Counter-Reformation

Catholic Church's reform response to regain followers.

Vernacular

Local language; Luther translated the Bible to German.

Recant

To take back one’s views; Luther refused to recant at trial.

Printing Press

Invented by Gutenberg; spread ideas quickly, including Reformation.

95 Theses

Luther’s list of Church criticisms nailed to Wittenberg church door.

Charles V

Holy Roman Emperor who opposed Luther.

Henry VIII

English king who broke from the Catholic Church to form Anglicanism.

Calvinism

Protestant sect led by John Calvin; emphasized predestination.

Scientific Revolution

Period of major scientific discoveries (1500s–1600s).

Galileo

Supported heliocentrism; tried by the Church for heresy.

Heresy

Belief against Church doctrine.

Excommunicate

To ban someone from the Church; happened to Luther.

Copernicus

Proposed heliocentric (sun-centered) model.

Kepler

Developed laws of planetary motion.

Heliocentric Model

Sun at the center of the universe.

Geocentric Model

Earth at the center (Church's accepted model).

Scientific Method

Process of experimentation and observation to form conclusions.

Gunpowder Empires

Ottoman, Safavid, Mughal—Muslim empires that used gunpowder weapons to expand and rule.

Ottoman

Sunni Muslim empire centered in Turkey; longest-lasting.

Safavid

Shia Muslim empire in Persia (modern Iran).

Mughal

Muslim empire in India; known for tolerance and art.

Merit

System where positions were earned through ability, not birth.

Janissaries

Elite Ottoman soldiers; Christian boys converted to Islam.

Fall of Constantinople (1453)

Conquest by Mehmet II; marked end of Byzantine Empire.

Sultan

Muslim ruler (e.g., Ottoman emperor).

Delhi Sultanate

Muslim kingdom before Mughals in India.

Suleiman the Magnificent

Ottoman ruler at empire’s peak; lawmaker.

Akbar the Great

Mughal emperor known for tolerance and administration.

Shah Abbas

Safavid ruler; reformed military, trade, and arts.

Mehmet II

Ottoman sultan who took Constantinople.

Sikhism

New religion in India blending Hindu and Muslim ideas.

Taj Mahal

Mughal architectural masterpiece; built by Shah Jahan.

Early Modern Era

Defined by technological advances, centralized monarchies, global exploration, and challenges to traditional authority.

Technological Advances

Printing press, gunpowder; pivotal in shaping societal changes.

Renaissance Art vs Middle Ages Art

Renaissance focused on realistic themes and human anatomy, while Middle Ages was flat and symbolic.

The Prince

Machiavelli's work presenting a pragmatic, realistic view of politics.

Military Technology in Gunpowder Empires

Use of guns and cannons for expansion and control.

Fall of Constantinople (1453)

Turned point in history marking the rise of the Ottoman Empire and the end of the Byzantine Empire.