Barron's AP Euro terms Ch. 1

Renaissance

"rebirth"; was a period of artistic, cultural, and intellectual revival; the revival of ancient learning and the supplanting of traditional religious beliefs by new secular and scientific values that began in Italy in the 14th and 15th century

Quattrocento

Italian for 15th century

city-states

towns that had expanded into independent ________ that ruled wide areas of the surrounding countryside

pagan

a follower of a polytheistic religion (as in ancient Rome or Greece)

the Medici family

the most famous dynasty of those merchants and bankers who used their vast wealth both to govern the city-states and to patronize illustrious creators in the arts; GCL (Giovanni, Cosimo, Lorenzo) were the most important in this time period

Leonardo da Vinci

(1452-1519) personification of the "Renaissance man;" painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, writer, and scientist; creator of the Mona Lisa and Last Supper

Michelangelo

(1457-1564) primarily a sculptor whose Pieta is often considered the most perfect marble carving; also created the sculptures of Moses and David, unrivaled masterpieces that reflect religiosity and real human emotions; also painted the Sistine Chapel; he glorified God by depicting the beauty of his earthly creations

Raphael

(1483-1520) is considered one of the greatest painter of any era; his portraits and Madonnas epitomize the Renaissance style; The School of Athens is his grandly conceived portrayal of the great masters of Western philosophy; is also a perfect example of Renaissance technique

Dante Alghieri

(1265-1321) author of Vita Nuova and Divine Comedy, which formed the cornerstones of Italian vernacular literature; was Boccaccio's teacher and friend

Petrarch

"Father of Humanism;"considered the first "modern" writer; he wrote sonnets in Italian and Latin, and he used writing to consider the ebb and flow of his life and in the human condition itself

Boccaccio

a contemporary of Petrarch and like him a Florentine; most famous for his Decameron, entertaining tales that reflected upon the human condition; the Decameron is both a stinging social commentary and a sympathetic look at human behavior

Baldassare Castiglione

offered a manual for the manners of the modern gentleman or "Renaissance man" called The Book of the Courtier; it was a civilized antidote to the crude social habits of the day

Niccolo Machiavelli

author of the Prince; is the first meaningful treatise on political science, an observation of how gov'ts actually rule w/out moral judgement or exhortation; was written for Lorenzo de' Medici; wrote advice to rulers saying that "the ends justify the means"

Erasmus

(1456-1536)"prince of the humanists"; prepared short Latin dialogues for his student that became known as Colloquies; aspired to unite the classical ideals of humanity and civic virtue with the Christian ideals of love and piety; believed disciplined study of the classics and the Bible was the best way to reform both individuals and society (philosophia Christi- a simple ethical piety in imitation of Christ)

Thomas More

(1478-1535) had fostered the "Erasmian" spirit in his Utopia, a book that criticized the correctable abuses of various institutions and that offered the blueprint for a perfect society; was Henry VIII's most trusted diplomat before he was executed by Henry

Johann Gutenberg

(ca. 1400-1468) popularized the printing press; he was the first one to make interchangeable movable type from lead molds; the introdution of the printing press had a massive impact on society b/c it became easier to spread ideas, propaganda, and education

Albrecht Dürer

(1471-1528) challenged Italian Renaissance art by depicting everyday people instead of religious and aristocratic subjects; was one of the master artists of the era; his self-portraits and woodblock prints are still revered today; he was a mathematician who was painting landscapes and self-portraits at the age of 13

Elizabethan Age

This era was the epoch in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign (1558-1603); Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history

Laura Cereta

(1469-1499) a well-known humanist and early feminist; taught moral philosophy at University of Padua, a center of Renaissance learning; wrote Familiar Letters, which were widely criticized for her criticism on gender bias

mysticism

involved the belief that an individual unaided by church or sacraments could commune with God; Thomas à Kempis (author of Imitation of Christ) is one of the most famous mystic; sought to stay true to the church, but to offer a substance that transcended traditional religiosity

secularism

a principle that involves two basic propositions: the strict separation of the state from religious institutions and that people of different religions and beliefs are equal before the law

humanism

the scholarly study of the Latin and Greek classics and of the ancient church Fathers both for its own sake and in the hope of a rebirth of ancient norms and values; a literary movement distinct from the writings of the late Middle Ages; dealt with issues of politics and personal concern outside the realm of religion

studia humanatatis

a liberal arts program of study that embraced grammar, rhetoric, poetry, history, politics, and moral philosophy that the humanists advocated

individualism

a sense of human power replaced religious awe; pleasure and accomplishment superseded the medieval dedication to the cloistered life of the clergy; people now valued involvement, a life of activity instead living a completely religious life

civic humanism

education designed to promote humanist leadership of political and cultural life

Hundred Years' War

(1337-1453) a war between France and England that lasted from the middle of the 14th century to the middle of the 15th, in which the kings of England invaded France, trying to claim the throne; France ultimately won; this war led to nationalism, which led to the Renaissance in France

Renaissance Views on Women

a loss of status for upper class and merchant women; the protections on their property and bodies were rescinded; penalty for rape was a fine payable to the father or husband (whosoever property had been damaged) instead of castration; women were banned from guilds; few women were allowed into institutions of higher learning