Renaissance and Exploration Era

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the Renaissance and Age of Exploration periods.

Humanism

A philosophy emphasizing the unlimited potential of human beings and focusing on individualism.

Machiavelli

An Italian diplomat and philosopher known for his work 'The Prince,' which emphasizes maintaining power by any means necessary.

Naturalism

An artistic style that focuses on the realistic representation of everyday life and uses geometric perspective.

Patronization

The support provided by wealthy individuals or institutions to artists and scholars, helping to bring prestige to themselves.

Christian Humanism

A movement combining scriptural authority with humanist ideas, emphasizing the importance of education in the classics and the Bible.

Vernacular Literature

Literature written in the common language of the people, allowing wider access to texts like Luther’s German Bible.

Mercantilism

An economic theory that promotes governmental regulation of a nation's economy for augmenting state power; emphasizes a favorable balance of trade.

Columbian Exchange

The exchange of goods, diseases, and cultural practices between the Old World and the New World following Columbus's voyages.

Feudalism

A social system where peasants worked on land owned by the wealthy in exchange for protection, later replaced by early capitalism.

Commercial Revolution

A period characterized by an increase in commerce and changes in economic structures in Europe.