Renaissance ID Terms

Renaissance

a rebirth or revival; the humanistic revival of classical art, architecture, literature, and learning that originated in Italy in the 14th century and later spread throughout Europe

Medici

Italian noble family that produced three popes (Leo X, Clement VII, and Leo XI) and two queens of France (Catherine de Médicis and Marie de Médicis)

Dowry

money or property brought by a bride to her husband at marriage, a sum of money required of a postulant at a convent

Papal States

a group of territories in central Italy ruled by the popes from 754 until 1870, they were originally given to the papacy by Pepin the Short and reached their greatest extent in 1859

Ambassador

a diplomatic official of the highest rank appointed and accredited as representative in residence by one government or sovereign to another, usually for a specific length of time

Niccolo Machiavelli

was an Italian Renaissance political philosopher and statesman, secretary of the Florentine republic, whose most famous work, The Prince, brought him a reputation as an atheist and an immoral cynic

The Prince

describes the achievement and maintenance of power by a determined ruler indifferent to moral considerations

Individualism

belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence

Secularism

religious skepticism or indifference

Humanism

a cultural and intellectual movement of the Renaissance that emphasized human potential to attain excellence and promoted direct study of the literature, art, and civilization of classical Greece and Rome

Petrarch

Italian poet, scholar, and humanist who is famous for Canzoniere, a collection of love lyrics

Civic Humanism

It argued that classical Greek and Roman learning should be applied to public life, urging citizens to actively participate in politics, reject tyranny, and prioritize the common good over private interests

Neoplatonism

builds on the ideas of Plato and teaches that all existence flows from a single, ultimate source called "The One.", the goal of human life is to purify the soul and return to this divine source through contemplation and virtue

Hermeticism

A single source from which all existence emanates and with which an individual soul can be mystically united

Liberal studies/liberal arts

academic disciplines, including literature, history, languages, philosophy, mathematics, and general sciences, viewed in contrast to professional and technical disciplines

Francesco Guicciardini

a Florentine statesman, diplomat, and historian, author of the most important contemporary history of Italy, Storia d'Italia

Johannes Gutenberg

was a German craftsman and inventor who originated a method of printing from movable type, Gutenberg printing press

Masaccio

Italian painter of the Florentine school whose revolutionary use of linear perspective and mastery of light and shade profoundly influenced Renaissance painting

Donatello

Italian sculptor who pioneered the Renaissance style with his natural, lifelike figures, such as the bronze statue David

Donatello's David

a famous Early Renaissance bronze statue created in the 1440s, it depicts the biblical hero David standing with his foot on the severed head of Goliath after defeating the giant

Filippo Brunelleschi

Italian architect celebrated for his work during the Florentine Renaissance, his greatest achievement is the octagonal ribbed dome of the Florence cathedral

High Renaissance

a brief, peak period of exceptional artistic excellence in Italy lasting from about 1490 to 1527, it is defined by harmony, balanced composition, realistic human anatomy, and classical Greek and Roman ideals

Leonardo da Vinci

Italian painter, engineer, and scientist whose notebooks record carefully observed details of anatomy, geology, botany, hydraulics, and mechanics as well as speculative designs for inventions including gliders and a helicopter-like device, as a painter, he is best known for The Last Supper

Last Supper

the final meal that Jesus shared with his twelve apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion, during which he instituted the Eucharist and predicted his betrayal

Raphael

Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance, most famous work of art is The School of Athens

School of Athens

a famous fresco by the Italian Renaissance artist Raphael, painted between 1509 and 1511, it decorates the Stanza della Segnatura in the Apostolic Palace of Vatican City

Michelangelo

an Italian Renaissance sculptor, painter, architect, and poet who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art

Michelangelo's David

captures a tense moment of deep psychological focus before battle, displays unmatched anatomical realism carved from a single flawed block of stone, and stands as the ultimate symbol of civic liberty

Northern Renaissance

the cultural and intellectual movement that took place in Europe north of the Alps from the late 15th through the 17th century, unlike the Italian focus on pagan classical antiquity, northern thinkers and artists blended humanism with Christian traditions to push for religious and social reform

Jan van Eyck

Flemish painter who with his brother Hubert (died 1426) founded the Flemish school of painting, Jan's works, characterized by brilliant coloring and minute realistic detail, include Arnolfini and His Wife (1434)

Albrecht Durer

German painter and engraver who incorporated the classicism of the Italian Renaissance into northern European art

The Spanish Inquisition

a judicial court established in 1478 by Catholic Monarchs King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella I to enforce Catholic orthodoxy, controlled by the Spanish crown rather than the Pope, it used secret trials, property confiscation, and torture to target religious minorities and heretics

Council of Constance

a major meeting of the Catholic Church held from 1414 to 1418 in Germany, it ended the Western Schism—a time when three men claimed to be pope at the same time—by removing them and electing Pope Martin V

Great Schism

The formal split (1054) between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches

Jan Hus

Czech religious reformer who was excommunicated (1410) for attacking the corruption of the clergy, his De Ecclesia questioned the authority and infallibility of the Catholic Church

Nepotism

Favoritism shown or patronage granted to relatives, as in business

Contrapposto

The position of a standing human figure whose weight is unequally distributed between the two legs, resulting in a slight curvature of the torso and a tilting of the pelvis and shoulders in opposite directions

Virtu

A knowledge or love of or taste for fine objects of art