AP EURO unit 2

Renaissance

rebirth” of art, learning, science, and culture in Europe.It changed European society and encouraged new ideas after the Black Death.

Hanseatic League

A group of Northern European trading cities and merchants that worked together.It became very powerful and controlled much of the trade in Northern Europe.

Estates

The three social classes: clergy (Church), nobility (nobles), and the Third Estate (everyone else).showed how society was divided by wealth, power, and social status.

Medici Family

A wealthy Italian banking family that became very powerful in Florence.They supported Renaissance artists, writers, and scholars, helping Florence become a Renaissance center.

Niccolò Machiavelli / The Prince

A Florentine diplomat and writer who wrote The Prince, a book about how rulers gain and keep power. His ideas changed the way people thought about politics and leadership.

Individualism

The belief that each person is unique and should develop their own talents and abilities.
  It encouraged education, creativity, and personal achievement.

Secularism

The idea of separating religion from government and public affairs.
It allows people with different religious beliefs to have equal rights.

Humanism

A Renaissance movement focused on studying Greek and Roman literature, history, and ideas.
  It encouraged education, critical thinking, and learning about human potential.

 Civic Humanism

The belief that educated people should use their knowledge to help their community.
  It encouraged people to become active citizens and participate in government.

Neoplatonism

A philosophy that combined ancient Greek ideas with Christian beliefs.

  It taught that studying beauty, nature, and humanity could help people understand God

Pantheism

The belief that God and the universe are one and that everything is connected to the divine.
  It changed how some people viewed God, nature, and the universe.

 Leonardo da Vinci

Renaissance artist, inventor, and scientist who studied art, science, engineering, and the human body.
He was the perfect example of a “Renaissance man”—someone skilled in many subjects.

Michelangelo

 famous Renaissance artist known for sculpture, painting, and architecture.
His artwork showed great detail, emotion, and religious themes.

 “New Monarchies”

European rulers who centralized power and made their governments stronger in the late 1400s and 1500s.  They helped create the foundations of modern France, England, and Spain.

Louis XI — “The Spider”

King of France who strengthened the monarchy and weakened powerful nobles.

  He helped France become a stronger and more centralized country.

 War of the Roses

A civil war in England between the House of York and House of Lancaster over the throne.
The conflict ended with the Tudor dynasty taking power.

 Spanish Inquisition

system created in Spain to investigate and punish people suspected of religious heresy.
  increased the religious and political control of the Spanish monarchy and Catholic Church.

 John Wyclif

An English priest and scholar who criticized the Catholic Church and supported an English Bible.

His ideas challenged Church authority and helped inspire later religious reform.

 Jan Hus

A Czech religious reformer who criticized corruption in the Catholic Church and preached in Czech.
  His ideas influenced later reformers and the Protestant Reformation.

Nepotism

Giving jobs or positions to family members because of connections rather than ability. It is considered unfair because qualified people may be passed over.