Renaissance and Early Modern Europe - Key Terms (Vocabulary Flashcards)

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key terms from the lecture notes (Pages 1–4).

Byzantine Empire

Eastern Roman Empire that preserved Greek and Roman knowledge until its fall in 1453.

Late Middle Ages

1300s–1400s; period of war, plague, and social change in Europe.

Medici Family

Wealthy Florentine bankers who funded Renaissance art and culture.

Secular

Focused on worldly matters rather than religion.

Perspective

Artistic technique that creates depth and three-dimensional space.

Chiaroscuro

Use of light and shadow to give volume to objects.

Cicero

Roman statesman and writer admired for speeches and moral philosophy.

Fresco

Painting done on fresh plaster so the colors are absorbed.

Petrarch

Italian poet and scholar known as the father of humanism.

Lorenzo Valla

Humanist who used language study to challenge Church documents.

Marsilio Ficino

Philosopher who revived Plato’s ideas in Renaissance thought.

Pico della Mirandola

Author of Oration on the Dignity of Man, celebrating human potential.

Philological

Related to the study of historical languages and texts.

Niccolò Machiavelli

Political thinker who wrote The Prince, advising rulers to be pragmatic.

Baldassare Castiglione

Author of The Book of the Courtier, describing the ideal courtier.

Francesco Guicciardini

Historian who applied critical analysis to politics.

Leonardo Bruni

Humanist who promoted civic involvement and classical learning.

Leon Battista Alberti

Architect and writer blending classical design into Renaissance buildings.

Michelangelo

Artist and sculptor of David and the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Donatello

Renaissance sculptor known for naturalistic figures like his bronze David.

Raphael

Painter of The School of Athens and religious works.

Andrea Palladio

Architect inspired by Roman temples.

Filippo Brunelleschi

Architect who built the dome of Florence Cathedral.

Leonardo da Vinci

Artist, inventor, and scientist who painted Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

Albrecht Dürer

German artist known for engravings and realism.

Jan van Eyck

Flemish painter who advanced oil painting techniques.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Flemish artist who painted peasant life and landscapes.

Rembrandt

Dutch painter known for portraits and mastery of light.

Christian Humanists

Reform-minded thinkers combining humanism with Christian faith.

Thomas More

Author of Utopia, describing an ideal society.

Northern Renaissance

Cultural movement in northern Europe combining humanism with Christian reform.

Vernacular language

Writing in the local spoken language instead of Latin.

Anglican Church

Church of England formed by Henry VIII after breaking from Rome.

Politique

Leader who prioritizes political unity over religious differences.

Huguenots

French Protestants influenced by Calvinism.

Guilds

Associations of craftsmen or merchants regulating trade.

Spanish Inquisition

Court established to enforce Catholic orthodoxy in Spain.

Concordat of Bologna

Agreement letting the French king appoint bishops.

Book of Common Prayer

Worship text of the Anglican Church.

Peace of Augsburg

Treaty allowing German princes to choose Lutheranism or Catholicism.

Diet of Augsburg

Meeting in 1530 to address religious conflict in the Holy Roman Empire.

Ferdinand and Isabella

Spanish monarchs who unified Spain and sponsored exploration.

Star Chamber

English court used to control powerful nobles.

Edict of Nantes

Law granting French Protestants limited freedom of worship.

Act of Supremacy

English law making the monarch head of the Church of England.

Nobles of the robe

French nobles whose status came from holding office.

Jean Bodin

Political theorist who supported absolute monarchy.

Hugo Grotius

Dutch thinker who developed ideas of international law.

Bartholomew Diaz

Portuguese explorer who rounded the Cape of Good Hope.

Pedro Cabral

Portuguese explorer who claimed Brazil.

John Cabot

Explorer who reached North America for England.

Hernán Cortés

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Aztec Empire.

Portolani

Detailed medieval maps for navigation.

Quadrant

Tool used to measure angles of celestial bodies for navigation.

Jean-Baptiste Colbert

French finance minister who promoted mercantilism.

Mercantilism

Economic policy where nations control trade to build wealth.

Jesuit activities

Catholic missionary and educational work during the Counter-Reformation.

Asiento

Spanish license to supply slaves to the Americas.

Seven Years’ War

Global conflict (1756–1763) involving European powers and colonies.

Treaty of Tordesillas

Agreement dividing new lands between Spain and Portugal.

Prince Henry the Navigator

Portuguese prince who promoted voyages of exploration.

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer who reached India by sea.

Bristol

English port city active in Atlantic trade.

Antwerp

Major trading port in the Spanish Netherlands.

Planter society

Social order dominated by large landowners of plantations.

Double-entry bookkeeping

Accounting method recording both debits and credits.

Fuggers

Wealthy German bankers who financed rulers and trade.

Money economy

System where goods and services are exchanged for currency.

Bank of Amsterdam

Financial center offering reliable currency exchange.

Dutch East India Company

Dutch trading company controlling commerce in Asia.

British East India Company

English company trading in India and Asia.

Commercialization of agriculture

Farming for profit rather than subsistence.

Enclosure movement

Combining farmland into private property for efficiency.

Serfdom

Peasants bound to work land for a lord.

The commons

Shared village lands for grazing or farming.

Little Ice Age

Period of cooler climate that reduced crop yields.

Italian merchants

Traders who dominated Mediterranean commerce.

Nobles of the robe

Government officials granted noble titles.