The Northern Renaissance and Reformation

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the lecture notes on the Northern Renaissance and the start of the Reformation, including terms, influential figures, and important concepts.

Utopia

An imaginary ideal society or place where greed, war, and conflict do not exist.

William Shakespeare

Famous Renaissance writer and playwright known for brilliant command of English and deep understanding of human nature.

Johann Gutenberg

German craftsman who developed the printing press using movable type in 1440.

Northern Renaissance

A cultural movement in northern Europe where Renaissance ideas from Italy spread, characterized by a combination of classical learning and Christian faith.

Oil Painting

An artistic technique using oil-based paints, pioneered by northern European artists like Jan van Eyck, allowing for detailed realism and popularizing realism.

Thomas More

An English Christian humanist writer who authored Utopia, envisioning an ideal society without greed or conflict.

Printing Press

An invention by Johann Gutenberg that used movable type to produce books quickly and cheaply, significantly spreading learning and Renaissance ideas.

Elizabethan Age

The Renaissance movement in England, named for Queen Elizabeth I, who reigned from 1558 to 1603.

Christian Humanism

A movement in the Northern Renaissance that combined classical learning with Christian faith, focusing on Judeo-Christian values and urging Church reforms.

Albrecht Dürer

A German painter known for woodcuts and engravings, emphasizing realism in religious subjects, classical myths, and realistic landscapes.

Jan van Eyck

A Flemish painter pioneer who worked in oil-based paintings, using layers of paint to achieve realism and detailed personalities.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

A Flemish painter who captured scenes of peasant life with realistic details, often teaching morals or protesting Spanish rule.

Desiderius Erasmus

A Christian humanist known for his book The Praise of Folly and his belief that society could be improved by studying the Bible.

Christine de Pizan

One of the first women writers to advocate against the differential treatment of boys and girls.

Indulgence

A release from punishments due for a sin, often sold by the Catholic Church, which became a key point of criticism leading to the Reformation.

Reformation

A 16th-century movement for religious reform that led to the founding of new Christian churches distinct from the Catholic Church.

Lutheran

A member of a Protestant church founded on the teachings of Martin Luther.

Protestant

A member of a Christian church founded on the principles of the Reformation.

Peace of Augsburg (1555)

An agreement that declared the religion of each German state would be decided by its ruler.

Annul

To cancel or put an end to, particularly referring to the action of ending a marriage in the context of the Church.

Anglican

Relating to the Church of England, established during the Reformation.