Ap EURO unit 1: Renaissance and Exploration Vocab

What is the Renaissance?

A cultural 'rebirth' beginning in Italy in the 14th century, emphasizing classical learning and the arts.

What is Humanism?

A movement focusing on human potential and achievements, often studying classical texts.

What does Secularism refer to?

A shift away from religious themes toward worldly subjects and individual experience.

Who was Petrarch?

An early humanist who revived interest in classical literature and values.

Machiavelli

Author of The Prince, known for political realism; believed “the ends justify the means.”

Castiglione

Wrote The Book of the Courtier, detailing etiquette and ideal behavior in noble society.

Perspective

An artistic technique used to create depth and dimension in painting.

Medici Family

Wealthy patrons of the arts in Florence who helped fund the Renaissance.

Hieratic Scale

Artistic method where size indicates importance, used in medieval religious art.

Dark Ages

Term for the early medieval period in Europe marked by cultural and economic decline.

Feudalism

A decentralized political system based on land ownership and mutual obligations.

Manorialism

Economic system where peasants worked on lords’ estates (manors) for protection.

Crusades

Religious wars launched to reclaim the Holy Land, which reopened trade routes and knowledge exchange.

Golden Ages

Periods of prosperity and cultural advancement in other civilizations during Europe’s Dark Ages.

Moveable type

Printing technology that allowed mass production of books; advanced by Gutenberg.

Byzantine Empire

Eastern Roman Empire that preserved classical knowledge.

Islamic Madrasas

Educational institutions that safeguarded Greek and Roman texts.

Johann Gutenberg

Inventor of the printing press.

Vernacular

The use of local languages instead of Latin in writing and literature.

Protestant Reformation

Religious movement that challenged the Catholic Church, partly enabled by the printing press.

Age of Exploration

A period of European global exploration seeking new trade routes and wealth.

Astrolabe/Quadrant/Compass

Navigational tools that helped European explorers travel across oceans.

Columbus

Explorer who reached the Americas in 1492 under Spanish sponsorship.

Treaty of Tordesillas

1494 agreement dividing newly discovered lands between Spain and Portugal

Middle Passage

The brutal sea route that transported enslaved Africans to the Americas.

Colombian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, people, and diseases between the Old and New Worlds.

Mercantilism

Economic system where colonies exist to benefit the mother country through controlled trade.

Joint Stock Company

Businesses where investors share profits and risks; key to funding exploration.

Demographic Collapse

Massive population decline among indigenous peoples due to disease and violence.

Transatlantic Slave Trade

Forced migration of millions of Africans to the Americas for labor.

Enclosure movement

Process where common land was privatized, pushing small farmers into cities.

Commercial Revolution

Period of European economic expansion and financial innovation.

Capitalism

Economic system based on private ownership and investment.

Tulip Mania

17th-century Dutch economic bubble driven by speculation over tulip bulbs.

Economic Divergence

The growing gap between Western Europe (modern economies) and Eastern Europe (feudal systems).

Henry I/ Elizabeth I

English monarchs who centralized power and reformed religion.

Ferdinand and Isabella

Spanish monarchs who unified Spain and funded exploration.

Charles V

Holy Roman Emperor who allowed religious choice within his empire via the Peace of Augsburg.

Reconquista

Campaign to retake Spain from Muslim rule, leading to religious unification.

Inquisition

Church-led effort to root out heresy and enforce Catholic orthodoxy.

Heresey

a belief or opinion that goes against the official teachings or doctrines of a religious institution—especially the Church.

Orthodox

Traditional or accepted believes especially in religion