ap euro unit 1 kt/vocab list

Flashcards covering key Renaissance, Early Modern European, and global interaction vocabulary terms from the notes.

Manor system

An economic and social system of Medieval Europe where land was divided into manors owned by a lord and worked by serfs or peasants.

Feudal system

A political and social hierarchy based on the exchange of land for military service, loyalty, and labor between lords and vassals.

Social hierarchy

A system in which society is organized into distinct social ranks or levels based on status, wealth, or power.

Aristocracy

The highest social class in traditional societies, typically made up of noble families holding hereditary titles and privileges.

City-state

An independent sovereign state consisting of an autonomous city and its surrounding territory, prominent in Renaissance Italy.

Balance of power politics

An international relations strategy where nations form alliances to prevent any single state from dominating others.

"Court" culture

The social customs, etiquette, patronage, and artistic practices surrounding royal or noble ruling courts.

Renaissance

A period of intense cultural, artistic, and intellectual rebirth in Europe, marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity.

Petrarch

An Italian poet and scholar often referred to as the father of Italian Humanism for recovering and translating classical texts.

"Liberal studies" vs. theology

The Renaissance shift in educational priority from church-dominated theology to the humanistic liberal arts like history, rhetoric, and moral philosophy.

"Classics"

The study of the literary, philosophical, and historical works of ancient Greece and Rome.

Italian Humanism

An intellectual movement in Renaissance Italy centered on classical learning and the emphasis on human potential and achievements.

Individualism

A Renaissance belief emphasizing personal worth, unique individual talent, and personal achievement.

Secularism

A focus on worldly, non-religious matters and life on Earth rather than exclusively on spiritual concerns.

Skepticism

An attitude of critical inquiry and doubt toward dogmatic claims, traditional beliefs, or unproven authority.

Leon Alberti

An Italian Renaissance architect, artist, and author who epitomized the Renaissance man through his treatises on art and architecture.

Pico della Mirandola

An Italian Renaissance philosopher who wrote Oration on the Dignity of Man, celebrating human free will and potential.

Naturalism

An artistic approach aimed at depicting subjects as they appear in real life with physical accuracy and detail.

Geometric (linear) perspective

An artistic technique using a single vanishing point and converging lines to give flat surfaces a realistic three-dimensional depth.

Civic humanism

A political extension of humanism in Renaissance Florence holding that intellectuals should actively participate in public and political affairs.

Niccolo Machiavelli

A Florentine political theorist best known for writing The Prince, an analysis of political power based on realism over moral ideals.

The Prince

A political manual written by Niccolo Machiavelli advising rulers on how to acquire, maintain, and exercise state power effectively.

Thomas More

An English Christian humanist statesman and author who wrote Utopia and was executed for opposing Henry VIII.

Utopia

A work by Thomas More depicting a fictional, ideal island community used to critique the social and political flaws of 16th-century Europe.

William Shakespeare

An English playwright and poet celebrated for his influential Renaissance dramas and mastery of language.

Othello

A tragic drama by William Shakespeare focusing on jealousy, trust, and betrayal.

Baldassare Castiglione

An Italian diplomat and author famous for writing The Courtier, outlining proper aristocratic social conduct.

The Courtier

A handbook by Baldassare Castiglione detailing the ideal manners, education, and social behaviors of Renaissance noblemen and noblewomen.

Gothic architecture

A medieval style of architecture characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, large stained-glass windows, and flying buttresses.

Johannes Gutenberg

The German inventor who introduced movable type printing to Europe in the mid-15th century, drastically increasing literacy and book production.

Vernacular

The everyday spoken language of a region or country, as distinguished from official Latin.

Merchant oligarchy

A system of government where rule is concentrated in the hands of a small, wealthy class of merchants and commercial elites.

Michelangelo

An Italian High Renaissance sculptor, painter, and architect renowned for painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling and sculpting David.

Sistine Chapel

A papal chapel in Rome famous for its ceiling and Last Judgment frescoes painted by Michelangelo.

da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci, an iconic High Renaissance polymath and painter of famous works such as the Last Supper.

Last Supper

A famous Renaissance mural painting by da Vinci depicting Jesus sharing a final meal with his apostles.

El Greco

A Greek Mannerist artist who worked in Spain, celebrated for his elongated figures and emotional religious paintings.

Ascension of Mary

A major religious artwork created by Mannerist artist El Greco.

Christian Humanism

A Northern Renaissance movement that combined classical learning with early Christian sources to reform church and social life.

Desiderius Erasmus

A leading Northern Christian humanist and scholar who wrote The Education of a Christian Prince and advocated religious reform.

The Education of a Christian Prince

A treatise by Desiderius Erasmus offering moral and Christian advice on how a prince should rule justly.

Chiaroscuro

An artistic technique employing dramatic contrasts of light and dark to create three-dimensional volume in painting.

Sfumato

An artistic technique of subtle color blending without sharp borders or lines to produce a soft, smoky effect.

New Monarch

Rulers in 15th- and 16th-century Europe who consolidated power, unified nation-states, and reduced noble control.

Nation-state

A sovereign state governed on behalf of a defined nation of citizens sharing a common culture, territory, and central government.

Centralization (consolidation) of power

The concentration of political authority, financial control, and military force into the hands of a single central government or monarch.

Henry VII (Tudors)

The first Tudor King of England who established financial stability and consolidated royal authority following the Wars of the Roses.

Ferdinand & Isabella

The Catholic monarchs who unified Spain, funded Christopher Columbus's voyage, and completed the Reconquista.

Columbian Exchange

The global transfer of plants, animals, diseases, and populations between the Eastern and Western Hemispheres following 1492.

Plantation system

An agricultural model based on large estates producing cash crops for export using forced labor.

Atlantic slave trade

The transatlantic trade route transporting millions of enslaved Africans to forced labor in the Americas.

Patronage system

A system where wealthy individuals, institutions, or rulers provided financial backing to support artists, scholars, and architects.

Triangular composition

A visual arrangement technique in Renaissance art where key elements form a triangle to convey stability and balance.

Jan van Eyck

A Northern Renaissance Flemish painter recognized for his pioneering mastery of oil painting techniques.

Arnolfini Marriage

A famous 1434 Northern Renaissance oil painting by Jan van Eyck renowned for its rich detail and symbolic interior features.

Caravel

A light, highly maneuverable sailing ship developed by the Portuguese in the 15th century for ocean exploration.

Double entry bookkeeping

A method of accounting where every transaction is recorded as both a credit and a debit, enhancing business accuracy during the Commercial Revolution.

Commercial Revolution

A period of European economic expansion, colonial trade growth, and commercial development from the late Middle Ages to the 18th century.

Global economy

An interconnected worldwide economic system formed through international trade networks.

Price revolution

A period of high inflation across Western Europe during the 16th century driven by population growth and precious metals from the Americas.

Indigenous culture

The native customs, beliefs, and social organizations of communities original to a specific geographical region.

Gentry

A class of wealthy landowners ranked just below the aristocracy in European social order.

Demographics

Statistical study and data related to human population dynamics such as growth rates, birth rates, and death rates.

Querelle des Femmes

A long-standing debate ('debate on women') in European literature regarding the status, capabilities, and nature of women.

Christine de Pizan

A late medieval female writer who actively defended the intellect and moral worth of women in the Querelle des Femmes.

Hacienda

A large estate or plantation in Spanish-colonized American territories devoted to agriculture or livestock raising.