Renaissance and Absolutism Review

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and the rise of Absolute Monarchy in Europe.

Renaissance

A time of revival that literally means rebirth, focusing on individuals and the intellectual movement of classical Roman and Greek art, architecture, and literature.

Humanism

A thought system that places prime importance on the individual instead of a divine being and encourages rational ways to solve problems.

Milan

One of the richest independent city-states that controlled trade through the Alps during the Renaissance.

Florence

An Italian city-state controlled by the wealthy De Medici family who became great patrons of the arts.

Venice

A city-state located on the Adriatic that attracted trade from all over the world.

Linear Perspective

An art technique developed during the Renaissance that added depth to an image.

Foreshortening

The shortening of lines in art to create the illusion of depth.

David

A masterpiece sculpture of the biblical hero created by Michelangelo in $1504$.

Sistine Chapel

A chapel where Michelangelo painted the ceiling with $9$ scenes from the Book of Genesis over a period of $4$ years.

Mona Lisa

A portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy silk merchant, painted by Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Last Supper

A religious painting by Leonardo Da Vinci depicting Jesus' last meal before his crucifixion.

Johannes Gutenberg

The inventor who shifted printing in $1455$ by creating movable-type, which allowed for the mass-production of books.

Movable-type

A printing system where individual letters could be slid into place, inked, and stamped onto blank sheets.

William Shakespeare

A writer of $37$ plays and $154$ sonnets whose work was inspired by Greek drama and showcased Renaissance life while being critical of royalty.

Sale of Indulgences

A Church practice where people were charged money to have their sins forgiven on a sliding scale based on the seriousness of the sin.

95 Theses

A list of $95$ problems with the church created by Martin Luther and nailed to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church.

Protestant Reformation

A major religious movement started by Martin Luther aimed at protesting and reforming the practices of the Church.

Absolutism

A system where a ruler, typically a monarch, holds absolute power over the government and the lives of the people without their consent.

Monarch

A king or queen who rules a territory, usually for life and by hereditary right.

Divine Right

The idea that a monarch's power comes directly from God, making them God's representative on earth who only answers to God.

Hapsburg Empire

A vast empire including the German State, Holy Roman Empire, Dutch Netherlands, and Spain, which was later divided by Charles V.

Philip II

The son of Charles V who expanded Spanish influence, strengthened the Catholic Church, and lived in isolation like a monk.

Spanish Armada

A fleet of $130$ ships and $20,000$ men sent by Spain to invade England in a failed attempt to defeat Queen Elizabeth I.

Huguenots

The term used for French Protestants.

Edict of Nantes

A document signed by Henry IV that provided Huguenots with religious toleration and other freedoms.

Cardinal Richelieu

An official who worked to destroy the power of the Huguenots and Nobles by destroying fortified castles and outlawing private armies.

Louis XIV

The absolute monarch known as the "Sun God" who built the Versailles Palace, famously stated "I am the State," and centralized power.

Peace of Westphalia

The treaty signed in $1648$ that ended the Thirty-Year War, from which France emerged as the winner.

Maria Theresa

The Austrian ruler who won the respect of her people by forcing nobles to pay taxes and limiting the power of the Church.

Junkers

Prussian nobles who were eventually brought under the control of the Hohenzollern family through jobs in the royal courts and army.

Frederick the Great

A Prussian king (Frederick II) who used his strategic mind to seize Silesia from Austria and win the Seven Years' War.

Peter the Great

A Russian Tsar who worked to westernize Russia with technology, built a strong military, and expanded serfdom to protect noble interests.

Catherine the Great

A German-born Russian Empress who codified laws, sponsored schools for both genders, and secured a warm-water port on the Baltic Sea.

Act of Supremacy

An English law that established the Monarch as the head of the Church of England.

Petition of Rights

A document Parliament wanted Charles I to sign that prohibited the king from raising taxes or imprisoning people without legal justification.