Chapter 8: The Renaissance in the North

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering the Northern Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, Elizabethan literature, and secular art trends.

Indulgences

Payments wealthy individuals could purchase from the Church for the forgiveness of sins, a practice that hurt the Church's standing with the poor.

Great Schism

An event that worsened public perceptions of the priesthood's disobedience of vows, such as celibacy and poverty.

Iconoclasm

The destruction of religious art or icons to prevent idolatry, which became the norm during the Northern Renaissance and Reformation.

Martin Luther

An Augustinian monk who nailed his 95 Theses to the door of Wittenburg Church and was eventually excommunicated by the Pope.

Diet of Worms

The assembly where Luther was summoned to Rome and refused to recant his suggestions for Church reform.

Grace

In Luther's reforms, the belief that faith alone, rather than good works or actions, gets people into heaven.

Thomas Muntzer

A radical reformer who led the Peasant’s War, a rebellion against the ruling class that resulted in heavy peasant casualties and his own execution.

Doctrine of Predestination

John Calvin's belief that God is omniscient and an individual's destiny (heaven or hell) is determined before they are born.

Desiderius Erasmus

A humanist and monk who translated early Christian writings into Greek and desired Catholic reform but did not align with the Protestant Reformation.

Anglican Church

The Church of England established in 1531 by Henry VIII after the Pope denied his petition for an annulment from Catherine of Aragon.

Act of Succession

A document recognizing King Henry VIII as the head of the Church, which Sir Thomas More refused to sign, leading to his execution for treason in 1535.

Utopia

A literary work authored by Sir Thomas More, the Chancellor of England under Henry VIII.

William Tyndale

The scholar who published an English translation of the Bible in 1526.

King James Version

A 1611 Biblical translation sponsored by King James I.

The Faerie Queene

A courtly epic written by Edmund Spenser during the Northern Renaissance.

The Globe

One of the permanent professional theaters built south of the Thames River in London.

Elizabethan Theatre

Performances staged outside during the day for 20,000–30,000 people, where the three unities were not observed.

Arnolfini Portrait

A famous secular portrait by Jan van Eyck from the Northern Renaissance.

Nicholas Hilliard

A goldsmith and portrait artist at Elizabeth I's court who specialized in miniatures.

Peter Bruegel

A painter known for depicting working-class people and diagonal landscapes with wide vistas.

Woodcut prints

A form of printmaking beginning around 1450 that allowed for the mass production of religious illustrations.

Northern Renaissance Architecture

A style drawing from medieval and Gothic influences, featuring turrets, moats, and fortified terraces, exemplified by the Chateau de Chambord.

A capella

A style of singing without instrumental accompaniment, used by some Protestant sects that removed organs from churches.