AP Euro Unit 1 ID

Petrarch (1304-1374)

• 'Father of Humanism,' was an Italian poet and scholar who played a crucial role in the development of Renaissance thought and literature.

• His work emphasized the importance of classical antiquity and the study of ancient texts, which inspired a cultural revival in Italy during the 14th century.

• Exploration of themes such as love, nature, and human emotion laid the groundwork for later Renaissance writers and artists, promoting a more individualistic and secular perspective.

Cosimo de’ Medici (1389-1464)

• Florence banker and statesman

• Despots hired by many city states to keep in order with the mercenary through the military broker called condottieri

• Was very rich

Lorenzo de’ Medici (r. 1478-1492)

• Rich and a banker

• Had secular patronage

• Believed in political civic humanism

• Was alive during Golden age in Florence

• Ruled the Florentine republic

Leonardo da Vinci (1452)

Lived during the renaissance ideal of the universal person: artist, advisor of kings, engineer, physiologist, botanist, and made Mona Lisa

Raphael (1483-1520)

He was a large Vatican fresco: the school of Athens

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.

Charles VIII (r.1483-1498)

• King of France who invaded Italy in 1494

  • Invasion marked the beginning of series of foreign intervention in the Italian peninsula 

• Worked to enforce his claim on the kingdom of naples

Pope Alexander VI (r. 1492-1503)

He is a corrupt member of the Borgia family (children Cesare and lucrezia)

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527)

• Italian diplomat, philosopher, and writer best known for his political treatise, 'The Prince.'

• His work is significant for introducing a pragmatic and sometimes ruthless approach to political leadership, emphasizing the importance of power and realpolitik over moral considerations.

• He called for a strong ruler to unify the City-States.

Johannes Gutenberg (1398-1468)

• German inventor best known for introducing movable type printing to Europe in the 15th century, which revolutionized the production of books and facilitated the spread of knowledge.

• His invention laid the groundwork for the mass communication that would define the Renaissance and the Reformation, influencing education, religion, and society as a whole.

Isabella of Castile (r. 1474-1504)

• Married Ferdinand of Aragon

  • Together they secured the border, ventured abroad militarily, and christianized spain 

• Brought Spain under control ended the toleration of muslims and Jews

• Devoted Catholic

• Help made Spain dominant european power in the 16th century

Ferdinand of Aragon (r. 1479-1516)

Along with Isabella of Castile, monarch of the largest Christian kingdoms in Iberia; marriage to Isabella created united Spain; responsible for reconquest of Granada, Spanish Inquisition, and initiation of exploration of the New World.

Thomas More (1478-1535)

• Most famous work, Utopia, published in 1516, presents a fictional society with an ideal social and political system, contrasting it with the corruption and inequalities of European societies at the time.

• It is a key text for understanding humanist thought and social criticism during the Renaissance. heavily criticized society at the time.

Henry VII (Tudor) (r. 1485-1509)

• The first monarch of the Tudor dynasty in England, reigning from 1485 to 1509.

• His reign marked the beginning of a new era in English history, characterized by the consolidation of power and the establishment of a more centralized monarchy, which is essential to understanding the emergence of new monarchies in Europe between 1450 and 1648

Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536)

• Dutch Humanist and friend of Sir Thomas More.

• Perhaps the most intellectual man in Europe and widely respected.

• Believed the problems in the Catholic Church could be fixed; did not support the idea of a Reformation.

• Wrote Praise of Folly.

Prince Henry the Navigator (1394-1460)

• Portuguese royal prince who funded and organized the early expeditions that started the age of discovery

• Patron and not a sailor

• Motivated by GGG

Bartholomew Dias (~1450-1500)

Rounded cape of good hope

Vasco da Gama (1469-1525)

Reached India

Christopher Columbus (1451-1506)

• Under guidance of Prince Henry the navigator when he found the americas (thought he found india) 

• Motivated by GGG

• Was an individual sailor but helped with the foundation of age of exploration and global commercial integration

• Voyage was funded by Isabella and Ferdinand

Amerigo Vespucci (1451-1512)

Explored the south american coastline

Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521)

He did the first circumnavigation

Hernán Cortés (1485-1547)

• Spanish conqueror of the Aztecs 

• Attempted to make peace with the Aztecs

• Was then defeated by the Aztecs and then was eventually turned around and conquered them

• Aztecs believed he was a god

Francisco Pizarro (1478-1541)

• Conquered the Incas in Peru he also executed their leader Atahulpa

• Later Europeans spread horrible diseases to the native americans

Philip V (r. 1700-1746)

A successor tried to revive trade monopoly, suppress smuggling

Charles III (r. 1759-1788)

• Most important imperial reformer

• Royal representatives favored over local councils, improved imperial economy, but introduced tensions btw spanish from spain and creoles (spanish born in america)