AP Euro Chapter 12 Vocab/Concepts

Renaissance

Means rebirth, bringing back knowledge from ancient Greece and Rome

Jacob Buckhardt

• Swiss historian

• Wrote Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy in 1860, arguing that it was an important period of time

Pre-Renaissance conditions

• Began during a period of economic difficulty

• By the 1400s, the economy was slowly recovering

  • Increase in volume of manufacturing and trade

• Geography near Rome and Greece

• Funding the arts and research is expensive, but Italy was rich

The Black Death

• aka the Black Plague or Bubonic Plague

• Spread by fleas and narrow roads

• Boils called bubos appeared and patients experienced a violent cough signifying death will come soon

• Clergy took care of sick and buried the dead

• Came from Asia and traveled along the Silk Road

• Takes out city-states for 60-80 years

• Spreads in 3 months and kills 1/3 of Europe’s population

• About 60% of top clergy are killed

• 50-66% of people are killed in densely populated areas

• Jews were sometimes blamed as scapegoats

Flagellants

People who perform extrem self-whipping or punishment, especially those who believed the Black Death was punishment from God

Danse macabre

Translates to “dance of death,” resulting from the Black Death, often shown in paintings

Hanseatic League

• A collection of trading cities and territories in northern Europe

• Swoop in to southern Europe during the Black Plague

• Traded goods like timber, iron, and grain

• Consisted of the Danes, the Dutch the Swedes, and the northern Germans

The Great Schism

• Papacy in moved by French pope to France in 1309 (called the Babylonian Captivity)

• Papacy is moved back to Rome in 1377 by Pope Gregory XI, who dies a year later

• Italian Pope Urban VI is elected after threats from Italian mobs

• French cardinals eventually break free, issue a manifesto discrediting the Italian pope, and elect French Pope Clement VII during Pope Urban VI’s papacy

Medici Family

• Rich bankers, starting in 1397 handling the papacy’s money

• Known as “patrons of the arts”

• Practically ruled Florence

• Were temporarily removed by France

Social structure of the Italian Renaissance

3 Estates:

• 1st estate: Clergy and all members of the Church

• 2nd estate: All people with a title (Nobles of Robe and Nobles of Sword)

• 3rd estate: All people without a title

Marriage in the Italian Renaissance

Typically men would have a title and women would pay a dowry to the man’s family, sort of like a bribe (All is arranged by the patriarchy and average age gap was 13 years)

The lives of women in the Italian Renaissance

• Managed the household, giving them some control

• Meant to bear large families

  • 10% died during childbirth

  • 50% of children died before 20

Baldasseri Castiglione

• Wrote The Book of the Courtier

• Targets the ruling class, telling them to have

  • Impeccable character

  • Strength of sword and mind

  • The ability to be a good role model

• Guide for individual behavior

Niccolo Machiavelli

• Wrote The Prince, telling people to usually be moral but do anything to keep the crown on their head

• Was very brutal and honest for the time

• Told people to take out morals and religion (maybe even in government too)

• Nearly died after being a good noble

• Criticized mercenaries and told people to raise their own loyal armies

• First to introduce idea of ambassadors

• Guide for political behavior

Individualism

The movement that gave individuals more recognition for their skills, starting with artists like Michelango and Raphael

Humanism

• People try to gain more knowledge for themselves

• Results from the books of the printing press

• People often studied Greco-Roman literature

• Some even became hermits

• Guicciardini is best historian of the time

• Based on the ideas of Petrarch

Petrarch

• Lived 1304-1374

• Creates the term “Dark Ages”

• Basically tells people to be smarter like the Romans

• Views intellectual life as one of solitude

Civic humanism

• People try to share their knowledge with others, benefiting all

• Based on ideas of Cicero

Leonardo Bruni

• Lived 1370-1444

• Civic humanist and Florentine patriot

• Used Cicero as role model

• Believed literary creation must be mixed with political action

• Thought people are only mature when being involved in society

Lorenzo Valla

• Lived 1407-1457

• Became secretary to Pope Nicholas V

• Concentrated on critiquing ancient texts

• Gained fame by proving the “Donation of Constantine,” a document giving claim to the papacy’s power in the west, was a forgery

Poggio Bracciolini

• Lived 1380-1459

• Born and educated in Florence

• Avid collector of manuscripts while being the pope’s secretary

• Known for his work Facetiae (collection of jokes)

• Believed Classical study could coexist with Christianity

Neoplatonism

Mixed the ideas of Plato with the teachings of Jesus Christ, so everything is bound by spiritual love

Hermeticism

• The study of manuscripts and occult sciences to learn hermetic magic

• Hermetic magic involves changing the environment around someone, like the weather or crop growth

Corpus Hermeticum

• A Greek Greek work translated into Latin by Ficino upon request of Cosimo d’ Medici

• Contained writing on occult magic and theological and philosophical speculations

Oration on the Dignity of Man

• Written by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola in the late 1400s as a preface to his 900 Conclusions

• States that humans could choose to be earthly or spiritual creatures

Pantheism

The belief that the gods surround people and take forms in nature (leads to hermeticism)

Printing press

• Uses movable type to mass-print one page at a time

• Makes books affordable, less time consuming, and inspires humanism

• Produces Gutenberg Bible in 1455

• Makes laws and discoveries clear

• Helps increase literacy

Education in the Italian Renaissance

• Heavily influenced by humanism

• Meant to create well-rounded, virtous, and ethical citizens

• Focused on creating society’s elite

• Often studied the “liberal arts,” which include:

  • Grammar and Logic

  • Math

  • Poetry

  • Greek and Latin

  • Music

  • Astronomy

  • Physical Education

Southern Italian art

• Influenced by Giotto and Masaccio

• Reuses perspective, shading, scale, etc.

• Is more secular

• Funded by Medicis and Church

• Skilled artists are recognized, creating individualism'

• Concerned Classical figures and religious figures/scenes

• Took form in frescoes, tempera, and marble

Sandro Botticelli

• Lived 1445-1510

• Leading Florentine painter of the time

• Paintings are heavily influenced by Greek and Roman mythology and have an otherworldy feel

Donatello

First major Renaissance artist, creating the bronze Statue of David as propaganda for the Medici family (Early Renaissnace)

Raphael

• Lived 1483-1520

• Gained early fame from frescoes of the Madonna

• Painted the frescoes in the Vatican and is most famous for them

• High Renaissance artist

• Also painted The School of Athens in 1510, which emphasizes the respect for Classical figures, idealizing nature, and civic humanism

Michelangelo

• Lived 1475-1564

• A High Renaissance artist

• Painted the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican from 1509-1512, an example of his influence by Neoplatonism and the different views

• Created the 14 ft marble Statue of David (an example of naturalism, but its beauty resembled godliness)

  • Largest sculpture in Italy since Roman times

Naturalism

Accurate portrayal of the human body and anatomy

Leonardo da Vinci

• A transitional Early to High Renaissance artist

• Created the term “Renaissance man”

• Painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, was an expert engineer, and studied anatomy

Filippo Brunelleschi

• Lived 1377-1446

• Friend of Donatello

• Created the II Duomo for the Cathedral of Florence

• Design for Church of Lorenzo was based on Classical ideas, unlike the Gothic medieval churches

• Skilled in many fields, such as smithing, mathematics, and sculpting

• Considered the first to rediscover perspective

The 5 major Italian city-states

• Republic of Venice

• Republic of Florence

• Duchy of Milan

• Papal States

• Kingdom of Naples

Venice

• Officially a republic but really an oligarchy of rich merchants

• Had a powerful navy and controlled trade routes in northeastern Italy

• Arguably richest city-state

Florence

• Officially a republic but Medici family too over oligarchy in 1434

• Had lots of wealth

• Where Donatello and Brunelleschi worked

• Lorenzo the Magnificent advocated for civic humanism and art here

• Sold high-quality wool cloth

• Tuscany

Milan

• Ruled by a duke

• Saved by Condottieri Ludovico Sforza, who invaded the city-state in 1447 and fixed the tax structure

• Northwestern Italy

Papal States

• Ruled by the Pope and contained the Vatican

• Many famous religious artworks are here

• Central Italy

Naples

• Had a large population, but many were poor people

• Was heavily influenced by the Spanish

• Weakest major city-state

• Southern Italy

Peace of Lodi

A treaty between Venice and Milan signed on April 9, 1454 that lasted 40 years

Federigo da Montefeltro

• Ruled the city-state of Urbino from 1444 to 1482

• Hired himself out as a condottiere to make money for his impoverished state

• Was a patron of the arts

• Good ruler who kept his word

• Wife was Battista Sforza, who could rule when Federigo left and was also a patron of the arts

Weaknesses of the city-states

• Nobody created an alliance to defend against foreign invaders

• The people were loyal to only their city-state, not unifying to defend against a bigger outside threat

• As a result, it was fought over by foreign powers such as Spain and France

Isabella d’Este

• Married to the marquis of Mantua

• Most famous Renaissance female ruler

• Effective ruler known for political wisdom and intelligence

• Attracted artists and intellectuals

• Built a great library

The Northern Renaissance

A more religious movement that occured in England, the Netherlands, and the Holy Roman Empire

Northern Renaissance art

• Used oil paint and focused on detail more than perspective

• More illuminated manuscripts and wooden panel paintings

• Usually smaller than Southern Italian art

• Often painted onto church walls

• Depicted peasants, portraits, and nature

• Comissioned by wealthy merchants and monarchs

• Ex: Pieter Bruegel

Jan van Eyck

• Among the first artists to use oil paint

• Oil paint allowed for more detail

• Giovanni Arnolfini and His Bride is known for its attention to detail

Albrecht Dürer

• German artists who blended Northern and Southern styles, using attention to detail and perspective

• Painted Self-Portrait at 28 in 1500 and Adoration of the Magi in 1504

Music in the Renaissance

• Dukes of Burgundy in Northern Europe were greatest patrons of music

• They attracted some of the greatest artists and musicians of the time, including composer Guillame Dufay (1400-1474)

  • One of the first to use secular music during mass

• Renaissance madrigal was developed in this time

Vernacular

Common language

New monarchies

• Countries like England that began to create the layout of modern Europe

• Limit the power of the feudal nobles of the sword

• Unified taxation, religious, military, trade and legal systems

• The state became more secular and sought order

The Hundred Years’ War

A period of conflict between England and France

• Lasted 1337-1453 (116 years)

• England is initially outnumbered (4 vs 17 million people) but wins battles with longbows and political unity 

• They traded victories for a while

• Joan of Arc is captured and her martyrdom reenergizes the French

• French win in 1453 at Battle of Castillon

France

• Hundred Years’ War brings the monarchy back to power

• Charles VII (1422-1461)

  • Used the war to strengthen royal authority,

  • Gained power of the purse through the Estates-General

  • Gained power over the Roman Catholic Church through the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges (1438)

• Louis XI

  • Known as “The Spider” for his devious ways

  • Gained power of the purse and consolidated noble lands

  • Encouraged growth of commerce and industry

England

• Hundred Years’ War caused turmoil and civil war

• War of the Roses (Lancasters are red and Yorks are white)

  • Henry Tudor defeated Richard III, the last York king and established the Tudor dynasty

• Henry VII (1485-1509)

  • Established strong central government

  • Eliminated private armies of the nobles

  • Established a high court to deal with bad nobles

  • Very good at extracting fees and managing duties

  • Kept taxes low via diplomacy

  • Encouraged commerce

Spain

• Was fractured into several independent Christian kingdoms by wars with the Muslim Moors

• Marriage of Isabella de Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon helped reunite the country

  • Kingdoms still operated separately but formed a unified army to deal with nobles

  • Monarchy is strengthened

  • Bureaucrats replaced nobles in office posts

  • Power was given to select church officials

  • Persecuted Muslims and Jews in the Inquisition

  • Their grandson, Charles I, becomes a powerful ruler of Spain

Holy Roman Empire

• Had no real monarchial authority

• Habsburg controlled the empire by 1438

• Frederick III (1440-1493)

  • Lost Bohemia and Hungary

  • Gained Franche-Comte, Luxembourg, and many lower countries like Austria

  • They finally had power after these acquisitions, drawing the attention of the French

• Maximilian I (1493-1519)

  • Son of Frederick III

  • German nobles stopped his efforts to centralize power

  • Marriage was his only success (Grandson was Charles I)

  • Bureaucracies of princes and their armies threatened the power of the empire and church

Eastern Europe

• Rulers failed to centralize power

• Poland was stuck in conflict between the crown and nobility

• Russia just came out of Mongol control

Byzantine Empire

• Threatened by the advancing Ottoman Turks

• Turks began rapidly seizing territories in Asia Minor

• Constantinople falls in 1453

• Turks even threaten Holy Roman Empire by 1400s

The Church during the Italian Renaissance

• Patronized Renaissance culture

• Fought church councils

• Seemed to be prone to immoral pleasures, especially under Pope Alexander VI