AP European History Unit 1 Renaissance and Exploration – Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms from Renaissance and Exploration topics (Units 1.1–1.10).

Renaissance

A cultural, artistic, and intellectual revival in Europe roughly from the 14th to the 17th century, emphasizing classical Greek and Roman ideas.

Secular

Non-religious; worldly concerns outside of church doctrine.

Humanists

Scholars who studied classical texts to revive human potential and secular learning.

Perspective

A mathematical and artistic technique to create depth on a flat surface in painting.

Chiaroscuro

The use of strong contrasts between light and dark to model forms.

Cicero

Ancient Roman statesman and writer often cited as a model of rhetoric and virtue.

Fresco

A wall painting technique done on wet plaster.

Petrarch

Early Renaissance humanist known as the father of humanism for reviving classical texts.

Lorenzo Valla

Humanist who advanced textual criticism, famously challenging the Donation of Constantine.

Marsilio Ficino

Philosopher who revived Platonism and translated Greek texts in Florence.

Pico della Mirandola

Renaissance philosopher famed for the Oration on the Dignity of Man.

philological

Relating to the study of language in historical texts and textual criticism.

Niccolò Machiavelli

Political thinker known for secular realism and The Prince.

Baldassare Castiglione

Author of The Book of the Courtier, outlining Renaissance courtly ideals.

Francesco Guicciardini

Historian and political writer emphasizing pragmatic analysis.

Leonardo Bruni

Humanist historian who helped popularize classical learning.

Leon Battista Alberti

Humanist architect and writer; epitomized the Renaissance ‘universal man.’

Michelangelo

High Renaissance artist known for sculpture, painting, and architecture.

Donatello

Early Renaissance sculptor famed for David and other works.

Raphael

High Renaissance painter renowned for balance and harmony.

Andrea Palladio

Architect who popularized classical architecture in the Renaissance.

Filippo Brunelleschi

Architect who engineered the Florence Cathedral dome and pioneered perspective.

Leonardo da Vinci

Renaissance polymath known for art and scientific inquiry.

Albrecht Dürer

Northern Renaissance artist famed for realistic detail and engravings.

Jan van Eyck

Early Northern Renaissance painter who advanced oil painting.

Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Northern Renaissance painter known for detailed peasant scenes.

Rembrandt

Dutch Golden Age painter noted for masterful use of light and shadow.

Thomas More

Christian humanist who wrote Utopia, critiquing contemporary society.

Northern Renaissance

Renaissance movement in Northern Europe emphasizing Christian humanism and realism.

Johannes Gutenberg

Inventor of movable-type printing in Europe.

printing press

Machine enabling rapid production of books and spread of ideas.

vernacular language

Everyday spoken language used in literature instead of Latin.

Anglican Church

Church of England established by Henry VIII separate from Roman Catholic Church.

Politique

Philosophy prioritizing stability and state interests over religious uniformity.

Huguenots

French Protestants influenced by Calvinism.

guilds

Professional associations that controlled training, quality, and trade.

Spanish Inquisition

Church tribunal in Spain enforcing Catholic orthodoxy.

Concordat of Bologna

1516 agreement allowing the French crown to appoint clergy, increasing royal control.

Book of Common Prayer

Anglican liturgical text standardizing worship in England.

Peace of Augsburg

1555 treaty allowing each German prince to choose Catholic or Lutheran faith in their territory.

Diet of Augsburg

Imperial assembly that debated and presented the Augsburg Confession (1530s).

New Monarchy

Centralized, bureaucratic monarchies in the late medieval/early modern period.

Ferdinand and Isabella

Spanish Catholic monarchs who completed the Reconquista and sponsored exploration.

Star Chamber

English court used to suppress opposition and enforce royal policy.

Edict of Nantes

1598 decree granting limited religious tolerance to Huguenots in France.

Act of Supremacy

1534 law making the English king the head of the Church of England.

Nobles of the Robe

French judicial/nobility class tied to robe-based offices and bureaucratic power.

Asiento

Contract allowing the importation of enslaved Africans to Spanish territories.

War of the Spanish Succession

Early 18th-century European conflict over who would inherit the Spanish throne.

Seven Years’ War

Global conflict (1756–1763) affecting colonial and European power.

Treaty of Tordesillas

1494 agreement dividing newly discovered lands outside Europe between Spain and Portugal.

Prince Henry the Navigator

Portuguese prince who promoted exploration and navigation schools.

Columbian Exchange

Widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, and diseases between hemispheres.

smallpox

Disease with devastating impact on Indigenous populations after European contact.

Vasco da Gama

Portuguese explorer who opened a sea route to India around Africa.

London

Major Atlantic port city and commercial hub in England.

Bristol

Important English port city involved in Atlantic trade.

Amsterdam

Dutch port city and leading financial center in the early modern period.

Antwerp

Major Flemish port city and commercial center during the early modern era.

Middle Passage

Sea voyage transporting enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Planter society

Society in the Americas built on plantation slavery.

plantation economy

Economic system based on large-scale crops cultivated by enslaved labor.

Double-entry bookkeeping

Accounting method recording both debits and credits for each transaction.

Fuggers

Extensive German banking family who funded rulers and commerce.

money economy

Economy in which money replaces barter as the primary medium of exchange.

Joint-Stock Company

Business entity where investors own shares and risk is shared.

Bank of Amsterdam

Major Dutch financial institution central to early modern finance.

Dutch East India Company (VOC)

Pioneering Dutch joint-stock company with trading and colonial rights.

British East India Company (EIC)

English trading company with monopoly on trade to the Indian subcontinent.

commercialization of agriculture

Shift from subsistence farming to market-oriented farming and profit.

Enclosure movement

Process of consolidating common lands into privately owned plots.

Serfdom

Labors bound to land and manor under a lord in the feudal system.

the commons

Shared land and resources overseen by communities; later enclosed in many areas.

little ice age

Period of cooling from roughly the 14th to the 19th centuries affecting agriculture.

Italian merchants

Wealthy urban traders who became new economic elites in early modern Europe.

Mercantilism

Economic doctrine advocating state control of trade to accumulate wealth.

Colbert

French minister who advanced mercantilist policy to strengthen royal finances.