Spring 2025 Global 2 Unit III Exam Review: The Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation

A complete set of vocabulary flashcards covering the key people, terms, and historical developments of the Renaissance and Protestant Reformation.

Medici Family

A wealthy Florentine family from Florence who profited from banking and became patrons or supporters of the arts.

Cosimo de Medici

The patriarch or head of the Medici family.

Leonardo da Vinci

An overall Renaissance man and polymath who was a painter (the Mona Lisa), sculptor, engineer, and anatomist.

Michelangelo

Painter and sculptor famous for painting the Sistine Chapel and creating the statue of David.

Niccolo Machiavelli

A civic humanist and philosopher from Florence who wrote The Prince and believed it was better for rulers to be feared rather than loved.

Humanism

A philosophy that emphasized human potential and encouraged learning.

Individualism

The celebration of a person's unique traits.

Classicism

The study of Greek and Roman ideas and values.

Secularism

Anything that is non-religious, representing a shifting away from religion.

The Crusades

Historical events that helped end the Middle Ages by causing people to leave manors and explore, which restarted trade and brought wealth to Europe.

Bubonic Plague (Black Death)

A disease from East Asia that killed $25$ million people in Europe (almost $\frac{1}{3}$ of the population) between the years $1347-1351$.

Italian City-States

The locations where the Renaissance began, including Florence, Venice, Milan, and Rome.

Northern Renaissance

A shift in the Renaissance movement that was less focused on Greece and Rome and more focused on every day life.

The Prince

A book by Machiavelli stating it is impossible to be a good person in terms of Christian morals while being a good leader, and that the end justifies the means.

The School of Athens

An artwork by Raphael circa $1511$ C.E. related to humanism and the Renaissance interest in Greek and Roman ideas.

The Birth of Venus

An artwork by Sandro Botticelli circa $1485$ illustrating individualism, classicism, and realism.

Johannes Gutenberg

The inventor who created the printing press circa $1450$ in the city of Mainz.

Martin Luther

A German monk who wrote the $95$ Theses in $1517$ to call out the corruption of the Catholic church, specifically the sale of indulgences.

Indulgences

Pieces of paper sold by the Roman Catholic Church that were supposed to forgive sins but were primarily used to gain wealth.

Excommunicated

The act of being cut off from the Catholic Church, often due to heresy or crimes against the church.

Henry VIII

English monarch who ruled from $1509$ to $1547$ and started the Church of England (Anglican Church).

The Act of Supremacy

A law forced through parliament by Henry VIII that made him the head of the Church of England.

The Protestant Reformation

A religious revolution that challenged the Catholic Church, attempting to reform corruption but ultimately ending religious unity in Western Europe.

The Counter Reformation

The Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation used to try and regain its authority.

Council of Trent

A meeting where the Pope and Church members banning heretical texts and attempted to regain church authority.

The Inquisition

A process instituted by the Catholic Church to put people on trial for acts of heresy.

Index of Prohibited Books

A list of books banned by the Catholic Church as heretical, including Martin Luther’s $95$ Theses.

John Calvin

A Swiss reformer who believed in predestination.

Predestination

The idea that God already knows who will be punished and who will be saved.

Literacy

The ability of people to read and write, which increased in Western Europe due to the printing press.