Unit 1: Renaissance, Reformation, and Exploration

Renaissance

A rebirth of Greek and Roman ideas

Humanism

A focus on people and what they can achieve

Secular

Focused on everyday life instead of religion

Classical

Related to ancient Greece and Rome

City-State

A city that has its own government

Medici Family

A wealthy family that supported Renaissance art and learning

Patron

A person who pays artists to create art

Patronage

Money given to support artists and their work

Renaissance Man

A person who is skilled in many different areas

Individualism

The idea that each person is important and unique

Printing Press

A machine that made books faster and easier to produce

Diffusion

The spread of ideas from one place to another

Perspective

A way of making art look 3D

Realism

Making art look real and lifelike

Machiavellian

Using clever or dishonest ways to gain power

The Prince

A book by Machiavelli about how rulers can keep power

Florence

An Italian city that became a center of the Renaissance

Marco Polo

A European traveler who traveled through Asia

Silk Road

Trade routes connecting Europe and Asia

Gutenberg

A man who helped develop the printing press in Europe

Leonardo da Vinci

A Renaissance artist and thinker who was skilled in many areas

Michelangelo

A Renaissance artist famous for painting and sculpture

Raphael

A Renaissance artist known for using perspective

Donatello

A Renaissance sculptor known for realistic artwork

Niccolò Machiavelli

A Renaissance thinker who wrote about politics and power

Protestant Reformation

A time when people challenged the Catholic Church and new churches began

Martin Luther

A German monk who criticized the Catholic Church

95 Theses

Martin Luther’s list of problems with the Catholic Church

Indulgence

A paper people could buy that was connected to forgiveness for sins

Corruption

Using power in a dishonest way

Catholic Church

A Christian church led by the Pope

Pope

The leader of the Catholic Church

Excommunicate

To kick someone out of the Catholic Church

Lutheranism

A Christian church based on Martin Luther’s ideas

Protestant

A Christian who is not Catholic

Clergy

Church leaders such as priests

Reform

To change something to make it better

King Henry VIII

The king of England who broke from the Catholic Church

Annulment

A legal way to end a marriage as if it never happened

Catherine of Aragon

Henry VIII’s first wife

Anne Boleyn

Henry VIII’s second wife

Church of England

A new English church created by Henry VIII

National Church

A church controlled by a country’s ruler instead of the Pope

Counter-Reformation

The Catholic Church’s response to Protestant ideas

Council of Trent

A meeting where Catholic leaders made changes and rules

Jesuits

A Catholic group that built schools and spread Catholic ideas

Missionary

A person who travels to spread a religion

Hierarchy

A system with different levels of power

Age of Exploration

A time when European countries explored new sea routes and lands

Exploration

Traveling to new places

Navigation

Finding the way from one place to another

Trade Route

A path used to move goods

Colony

Land controlled by another country

Colonization

When a country takes control of land far away

Portugal

A European country that explored sea routes to Asia

Spain

A European country that sent explorers west across the Atlantic

Caravel

A small fast ship used by explorers

Compass

A tool that helps people find direction

Cape of Good Hope

The southern tip of Africa

Indian Ocean

The ocean between Africa and Asia

Atlantic Ocean

The ocean between Europe and the Americas

Indigenous

Originally from a place