Crash Course European History – The Renaissance

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, people, concepts, and events from the Crash Course European History episode on the Renaissance.

Francesco Petrarch

14th-century Florentine writer whose admiration for classical authors and coining of the term “Middle Ages” helped spark Renaissance humanism.

Middle Ages

Period between classical antiquity and the Renaissance, described by Petrarch as a dark, ignorant era.

Renaissance

14th–16th-century European cultural revival that looked back to Greco-Roman antiquity and emphasized human potential, art, and learning.

Classical Antiquity

Civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome, idealized by Renaissance thinkers as a golden age of culture and knowledge.

Humanism

Renaissance intellectual movement focused on the study of classical texts and the achievements and concerns of humans rather than the divine.

Humanities (Liberal Arts)

Grammar, rhetoric, and logic—the core studies that led to theology, philosophy, law, and medicine in Renaissance education.

Cicero

Roman orator whose works were avidly hunted and imitated by Renaissance scholars seeking classical eloquence.

Patronage

System in which wealthy individuals, families, or governments financed artists and scholars to gain status and legitimize their wealth.

Medici Family

Powerful Florentine banking dynasty and major patrons of Renaissance art, politics, and the church.

Lorenzo de Medici

“Lorenzo the Magnificent”; leading Medici patron whose 1492 death is often seen as ending Florence’s golden age.

Cosimo de Medici

Early Medici patriarch who established the family’s dominance and extensive artistic patronage in Florence.

Florence

Italian city-state that became the cradle of early Renaissance art, humanism, and political experimentation.

Italian City-States

Independent urban centers such as Florence, Venice, and Milan where commerce, banking, and Renaissance culture flourished.

Bankers

Financial innovators who funded cathedrals, civic projects, and artists, thereby legitimizing merchant wealth in Renaissance Italy.

Signoria (Senoria)

Florentine governing council whose members were theoretically chosen by guild lottery but often controlled by elite families.

Guild

Association of artisans or merchants; membership (male, debt-free, well-connected) was required for political roles in Florence.

Sandro Botticelli

Florentine painter known for realistic portraits and mythological works like The Birth of Venus.

Michelangelo

Renaissance sculptor and painter famous for David and the Sistine Chapel ceiling; advanced anatomical realism through dissections.

Leonardo da Vinci

Florentine polymath whose art and scientific studies exemplified Renaissance curiosity and humanist ideals.

David (sculpture)

Michelangelo’s marble statue portraying the biblical hero with classical realism and human dignity.

The Birth of Venus

Botticelli painting that merges classical mythology with naturalistic humanism and idealized beauty.

Anatomical Accuracy

Renaissance artistic goal achieved through dissection and observation, enabling lifelike depiction of the human body.

Neoclassical White Marble Myth

Modern misconception that ancient statues were unpainted; Renaissance copies stayed white despite originals being brightly colored.

Bubonic Plague

Deadly disease that continued to strike Europe during the early Renaissance, showing coexistence of medieval hardships.

Ciompi Revolt

14th-century uprising of Florentine wool workers protesting poor living and working conditions.

Niccolò Machiavelli

Florentine political theorist whose experiences of city-state turmoil informed works like The Prince.

Barbarians (French Invasion of 1494)

Label Machiavelli used for French forces whose invasion marked a crisis for Renaissance Florence.

Paterfamilias

Roman legal concept elevating the father as family head; its revival during the Renaissance reinforced male authority.

Isabella d’Este

Renaissance noblewoman and patron who sponsored artists and musicians, illustrating women’s limited yet notable cultural roles.

Perspective (art)

Technique developed in the Renaissance to create depth and realism in painting, reflecting humanist interest in observation.