History of Civilizations: The Italian Renaissance and Protestant Reformation

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key figures, concepts, and events of the Italian Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation as presented in the HIST 110 lecture notes.

Renaissance

An artistic and intellectual movement characterized by the rebirth of classical culture, deriving its name from the French words naître and naissance.

Johann Gutenberg

The 15th-century inventor of the printing machine who enabled the widespread dissemination of the Gutenberg Bible.

Renaissance Classicism

An increased focus on classical Greek-Roman texts used by scholars as models of thought and action, particularly within Italian city-states.

Humanism

A major theme of the Renaissance that views the human as the most supreme form of existence and emphasizes the perfection of the human body.

Giovanni Pico della Mirandola

Renaissance thinker and author of Oration on the Dignity of Man, which argued that there is "nothing more wonderful than man."

Baldessare Castiglione

Author of The Book of the Courtier (1528), which defined the ideal "Renaissance Man" as multi-talented, brave, witty, and courteous.

Renaissance Neoplatonism

An intellectual movement that blended the philosophical ideas of Plato and ancient mysticism with Christianity.

Francesco Petrarch

A deeply committed Christian scholar who argued that good Christian writers must inspire people to do good.

Niccolò Machiavelli

A Florentine official and author of The Prince who argued that a ruthless prince must prioritize state power over morality.

Linear perspective

An artistic technique discovered in the 15th century using geometry and laws of perspective to depict depth in painting.

Sandro Botticelli

A Renaissance painter of both Greek-Roman and Christian subjects, famous for the Birth of Venus.

Leonardo da Vinci

The personification of the "Renaissance Man" who worked as a painter, architect, musician, mathematician, and engineer; creator of The Last Supper and Mona Lisa.

Venetian School

An artistic tradition represented by Giovanni and Gentile Bellini whose work reflected the luxurious life of Venice.

Raphael

Renaissance painter influenced by Leonardo, known for The School of Athens and portraying man as wise and dignified.

Michelangelo

A painter, sculptor, and architect known for the Sistine Chapel paintings (such as The Creation of Adam), the statue of David (1501), and Moses.

Donatello

The sculptor of David, notable for being the first free-standing nude statue created since antiquity.

Giordano Bruno

A figure whose death was a consequence of the Counter-Reformation's religious persecution and censorship.

Desiderius Erasmus

A Northern Christian humanist who criticized church corruption and advocated for a return to the modesty of early Christianity.

Sir Thomas More

Author of Utopia (1516), which critiqued society by describing an ideal place with complete equality and no private property.

Indulgence

A practice where the church granted the lessening of sins, which eventually transitioned from being earned through spiritual exercise to being sold for money.

Martin Luther

A German monk who broke with Rome and argued that individuals are saved by faith alone and that the Bible is the highest authority.

Ninety-Five Theses

A document written in Latin by Martin Luther in 1517 intended for academic dispute regarding church practices like indulgences.

Priesthood of all believers

Luther’s concept that all Christian believers are spiritually equal before God, rejecting the superiority of the ecclesiastical hierarchy.

Diet of Worms

The 1521 assembly presided over by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V that declared Martin Luther an outlaw.

Anabaptism

A radical Protestant sect that believed baptism was only effective if administered to willing adults, rather than infants.

John Calvin

The theologian who established a reformed theocracy in Geneva, emphasizing the omnipotence of God and an active life of piety.

Henry VIII

The English monarch who broke with Rome in 1531 and declared himself the supreme head of the church in England to facilitate his divorce.

Act of Supremacy

The 1534 legislation that formalized Henry VIII's status as the head of the English Church.