Renaissance ID terms

Northern Renaissance

Cultural and intellectual movement of northern Europe; began later than Italian Renaissance c. 1450; centered in France, Low Countries , England, and Germany; featured greater emphasis on religion than Italian Renaissance

Jan van Eyck

Flemish painter who was a founder of the Flemish school of painting and who pioneered modern techniques of oil painting (1390-1441)

Renaissance

Period in European history from the 14th to the 17th century. Marked by a revival of art, literature, and learning, and a shift from medieval to modern thinking. Known for its emphasis on humanism, individualism, and the exploration of new ideas. Famous artists include Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Medici

Powerful Italian family during the Renaissance, known for their patronage of the arts and influence in politics and banking.

Dowry

A cultural practice where a bride's family provides gifts or money to the groom's family upon marriage.

Papal states

Territory in central Italy ruled by the Pope. Established in 756 and lasted until 1870. Consisted of various regions, including Rome and surrounding areas. Served as a political and religious power during the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Annexed by the Kingdom of Italy

Ambassador

a diplomat who represents their government in a foreign country. They communicate and negotiate between nations, protect citizens abroad, and resolve conflicts. They maintain international relations and foster cooperation.

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Niccolo Machiavelli

Italian Renaissance political philosopher and writer. Known for his book "The Prince," which discusses the acquisition and maintenance of political power. His ideas were often controversial, as he emphasized the use of cunning and manipulation in politics.

*The Prince*

A political treatise written by Niccolo Machiavelli during the Renaissance. It explores the acquisition and maintenance of political power, emphasizing the importance of cunning and ruthlessness.

Individualism

Belief in personal freedom and self-reliance; valuing independence and individual rights; prioritizing individual needs and goals over collective interests.

Secularism

The principle of separating religion from the affairs of the state and ensuring equal treatment of all religious and non-religious beliefs.

Humanism

Philosophical belief emphasizing the value and agency of human beings, rather than supernatural or divine forces. Focuses on reason, ethics, and the pursuit of knowledge. Emerged during the Renaissance as a reaction to medieval religious dogma. Influenced art, literature, and science. Promotes individualism, critical thinking, and human potential.

Petrarch

(1304-1374) Father of the Renaissance. He believed the first two centuries of the Roman Empire to represent the peak in the development of human civilization.

Civic humanism

The belief that individuals owe a service to their community and its government. During the Renaissance, political theorists argued that selfless service to the polity was of critical importance in a self-governing republic.

Neoplatonism

Views based on the ideas of Plato that one should search beyond appearances for true knowledge

Hermeticism

Belief that human beings had been created as divine creative power, but had freely chosen to enter the material world, created by Ficino who was commissioned by Cosimo de Medici

Liberal studies/liberal arts.

at the core of humanist schools, were stressed as the key to true freedom and one's biggest potential; included history, moral philosophy, eloquence/rhetoric, grammar and logic, poetry, mathematics, astronomy, and music

Francesco Guicciardini

A historian during the Renaissance that brought a modern look at the history of Florence and Rome which had not been done as well before.

Johannes Gutenburg

German printer; in 1448 he invented a printing press that used movable type

Masaccio

He used light and dark imagery to illustrate different feelings and emotions

Donato di Donatello

spent his time in Rome copying Greek and Roman statues. His statue David shows the triumph and strength of Florence over Milan. It had simplicity and strength that reflected the dignity of man.

Donatello’s *David* 

A smaller bronze statue that depicts the biblical hero as a boy before battle

Filippo Brunelleschi

Florentine architect who was the first great architect of the Italian Renaissance; built first dome over Cathedral of Florence.

High Renaissance

the artistic style of the first half of the 16th century in western Europe especially as manifested in Rome and Florence and characterized by heroic centralized composition, technical mastery of drawing and conception, and a mature humanistic content.

Leonardo da Vinci

A well known Italian Renaissance artist, architect, musician, mathematician, engineer, and scientist. Known for the Mona Lisa.

Last Supper

High Renaissance wall painting in refectory using experimental technique dramatizing moment in time using linear perspective and symbols of trinity

Raphael

(1483-1520) Italian Renaissance painter; he painted frescos, his most famous being The School of Athens.

*School of Athens* 

Italian Renaissance fresco wall painting of Greek philosophers drawn to scale in accordance with the vantage point of the viewer. The placement, in the center of the archway, of Plato and Aristotle emphasizes the importance of these two central figures.

Michelangelo

(1475-1564) An Italian sculptor, painter, poet, engineer, and architect. Famous works include the mural on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and the sculpture of the biblical character David.

Michelangelo’s *David*

a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. Because of the nature of the hero that it represented, it soon came to symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the Florentine Republic, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the hegemony of the Medici family.

Albrecht Durer

Famous Northern Renaissance artist, he often used woodcutting along with Italian Renaissance techniques like proportion, perspective and modeling. (Knight Death, and Devil; Four Apostles)

The Spanish Inquisition

An organization of priests in Spain that looked for and punished anyone suspected of secretly practicing their old religion instead of Roman Catholicism.

Council of Constance

the council in 1414-1418 that succeeded in ending the Great Schism in the Roman Catholic Church

Great Schism

the official split between the Roman Catholic and Byzantine churches that occurred in 1054

Jan Hus

The leader of the Czech religious reforms, and the spiritual founder of the Protestant reformation in the 1500's. He was convicted by the Council of Constance for heresy.

Nepotism

favoritism shown to family or friends by those in power, especially in business or hiring practices

Contrapposto

A style of Greek sculpture where people are depicted standing and leaning so that the person's weight is being put on one side. People are depicted with their bodies curved like an “S”

Virtu

An innate "life Force" that powered expression and creativity of humanity, according to Machiavelli & other Renaissance writers (TB)