Renaissance and Early Modern Europe - Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and people from the Renaissance and early modern Europe notes.

Baldassare Castiglione

Civic Humanist who wrote The Courtier (1528) and promoted the idea of the educated, well-rounded “Renaissance man.”

The Courtier

A book by Castiglione outlining the ideal Renaissance gentleman and a broad, cultivated education.

Bank of Amsterdam

Financial institution founded in 1609 that standardized value across currencies, enabling cross-border money drawing and helping Amsterdam become Europe’s financial center until the French Revolution.

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor

Habsburg ruler who governed the Holy Roman Empire and Spain, promoted a consolidated monarchy, and defended Catholic lands against the Reformation; signed the Peace of Augsburg (1555).

Chiaroscuro

Artistic technique that uses strong contrasts of light and dark to create depth; a hallmark of Renaissance painting.

Christian Humanism

Northern Renaissance movement combining classical learning with reform of the Catholic Church (advocated by Erasmus).

Civic Humanism

Idea that citizens owe service to their community and government; emphasized secular political virtue in republics (advocated by Machiavelli and Castiglione).

Columbian Exchange

Global transfer of goods, ideas, and people between the Old and New Worlds, with profound ecological and demographic impacts.

Commercial Revolution

Period of European economic change (late Middle Ages to 17th century) characterized by growth of towns, trade, banks, credit, and guilds.

Concordat of Bologna

1516 agreement between Francis I and Pope Leo X allowing the French Crown to nominate bishops and abbots while recognizing papal supremacy over councils.

Donatello

Florentine sculptor known for mastering schiacciato (low relief); notable work includes David (c. 1430).

Elizabeth I

Queen of England (1533–1603) whose reign stabilized the realm, implemented religious settlement (Book of Common Prayer), asserted royal supremacy, defeated the Spanish Armada, and spurred overseas exploration.

Francis I of France

King of France (reigned 1515–1547) who sponsored Italian Renaissance art and architecture and secured the Concordat of Bologna with the Pope.

Henry VII of England

First Tudor king (reigned 1485–1509) who ended the Wars of the Roses, promoted stability and economic growth, and established strong central authority (Star Chamber).

Henry VIII of England

Tudor king (reigned 1509–1547) who expanded royal power, initiated the English Reformation, and created the Church of England (Act of Supremacy) along with his six wives.

Hugo Grotius

Dutch legal theorist (1583–1645) whose natural-law and state-cooperation ideas influenced international law and the Peace of Westphalia.

Isabella & Ferdinand of Spain

Marriage united Castile and Aragon, completed the Reconquista, and established Catholic dominance and centralized religious authority in Spain.

Niccolò Machiavelli

Renaissance political thinker who wrote The Prince; argued pragmatic, sometimes amoral statecraft and the ends justify the means; an early Civic Humanist.

Italian Renaissance

Period of renewed interest in Greco-Roman culture centered in Florence; emphasized secular art and humanism, with artists like Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Brunelleschi; used chiaroscuro.

Jean Bodin

French political philosopher (Six Books of the Commonwealth) who argued for absolute sovereignty to maintain order.

Medici Family

Powerful Florentine banking family that ruled behind the scenes and were major patrons of the arts during the Renaissance.

Mercantilism

Economic theory advocating strong government control of the economy to maximize exports and accumulate precious metals; associated with Colbert under Louis XIV.

Michelangelo

Leading Italian artist of the High Renaissance known for the Sistine Chapel ceiling and David.

Naturalism

Artistic principle focusing on accurate, detailed, and lifelike representation.

Erasmus

Dutch Christian humanist who promoted reform of the Catholic Church and education; key figure in Christian humanism.

Nobles of the Robe

French aristocrats who held administrative posts; not titled nobility but wielded significant power through office appointments.

Northern Renaissance

Renaissance movement in northern Europe blending Italian ideas with strong religious and everyday-life themes; artists include Bruegel, van Eyck, and Dürer.

Peace of Augsburg

1555 treaty granting German princes the right to choose Lutheranism or Catholicism within their realms and reducing religious conflict (until 1618).

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Dutch/Northern Renaissance painter known for landscapes and peasant scenes; works include The Hunters in the Snow and The Peasant Wedding.

Price Revolution

Period of sustained price inflation in the 16th century driven by large inflows of gold and silver from the Americas.

Printing Press

15th-century invention that accelerated the spread of information, spurring Renaissance ideas and vernacular literature and aiding the Reformation.

Raphael

Italian High Renaissance painter admired for clarity of form and composition; famous works include The School of Athens, Transfiguration, and The Marriage of the Virgin.

Spanish Inquisition

Royal tribunal established in 1479 by Isabella and Ferdinand to monitor conversos and enforce Catholic orthodoxy; led to persecution and demographic shifts.

Star Chamber

English court under Henry VII that used torture and curtailed juries and appeals, increasing royal and noble power and fostering corruption.

Treaty of Tordesillas

1494 agreement between Spain and Portugal that divided newly discovered lands outside Europe along a demarcation line.

Vernacular

Everyday language spoken by the common people, as opposed to Latin in scholarly or religious contexts.