Unit 1: Renaissance Notes

Humanism

An intellectual movement at the heart of the Renaissance that focused on education and the classics.

Humanities

Study of subjects such as grammar, rhetoric, poetry, and history that were taught in Greece and Rome.

Patron

A person who provides financial support for the arts.

Vernacular

Everyday language of ordinary people.

Perspective

Artistic technique used to give paintings and drawings a three-dimensional effect.

Indulgence

In the Roman Catholic Church, pardon for sins committed during a person’s lifetime.

Predestination

Calvinist belief that God long ago determined who would gain salvation.

Theocracy

Government run by religious leaders.

Sect

A subgroup of a major religious group.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Political philosopher known for 'The Prince', a guide for rulers on how to gain and keep power.

Johannes Gutenberg

Inventor of the printing press with moveable type; printed the first complete edition of the Christian Bible in 1455.

Erasmus

Dutch priest and scholar who promoted humanism and produced a new Greek edition of the Christian Bible.

Sir Thomas More

A lawyer and writer known for 'Utopia' and his role in British parliament during Henry VIII's reign.

Martin Luther

German monk and theologian who was the catalyst of the Protestant Reformation, known for his 95 theses.

John Calvin

Theologian who influenced Calvinism and set up a theocracy in Switzerland.

Henry VIII

Second Tudor king of England who broke from the Catholic Church to form the Church of England.

Ignatius of Loyola

Spanish nobleman who became a theologian and founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits).

Michelangelo

Italian painter and sculptor known for the statue of David and the ceiling murals of the Sistine Chapel.

Leonardo da Vinci

Italian polymath known as the 'ideal Renaissance man', famous for the 'Mona Lisa' and 'The Last Supper'.