AP European History Renaissance and Exploration Flashcards

Flashcards on Renaissance and Exploration

Renaissance

A period of cultural and intellectual rebirth that began in Italy in the 14th century and spread throughout Europe until the 17th century. It was characterized by a renewed interest in classical learning, humanism, and the arts.

Humanism

A philosophical and intellectual movement that emphasized the value and agency of human beings, individually and collectively. It valued education, reason, and critical thinking, also emphasized the study of classical literature, history, and art.

Italian Renaissance

A period of great cultural and artistic growth that began in Italy in the 14th century and lasted until the 17th century characterized by classical art, literature, and philosophy, as well as a focus on humanism and individualism.

Northern Renaissance

A cultural and artistic movement that took place in Northern Europe during the 15th and 16th centuries characterized by great intellectual and artistic growth, a renewed interest in classical learning and a focus on individualism and humanism.

Leaders in Northern Renaissance

Albrecht Dürer, Jan van Eyck, Desiderius Erasmus, William Shakespeare

Johannes Gutenberg

Invented the printing press in the mid-15th century and revolutionized the way information was disseminated during the Renaissance period.

New Monarchies

Refers to the period of European history from 1450 to 1648, during which the monarchies of Europe underwent significant changes in their political, economic, and social structures to consolidate power and establish strong, centralized states.

Age of Exploration

A period of European exploration and discovery that lasted from the 15th to the 17th century where European explorers sailed across the oceans in search of new trade routes, resources, and territories.

Major Explorers

Christopher Columbus, Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan, Francis Drake

Columbian Exchange

Refers to the exchange of plants, animals, and diseases between the Old World (Europe, Africa, and Asia) and the New World (the Americas) following Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492.

Triangular Trade

Involved three continents: Europe, Africa, and the Americas. European traders brought manufactured goods to Africa, exchanged them for slaves, and then transported the slaves to the Americas to work on plantations. The profits from the sale of sugar, tobacco, and other crops were then used to buy raw materials in the Americas, which were shipped back to Europe.

Commercial Revolution

A period of European economic expansion, colonialism, and mercantilism that lasted from the 16th to the 18th century and brought about significant changes in the European economy and society.

The Protestant Reformation

A 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era.

Martin Luther

A German monk and theologian who lived in the 16th century and wrote the 95 Theses, which criticized the Church's corruption and sparked the Protestant Reformation.

Protestant Beliefs

Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Priesthood of all believers, Justification by faith, The Trinity, The sacraments, The priesthood, The church, The second coming

French Wars of Religion

A series of conflicts between Catholics and Protestants that lasted from 1562 to 1598, with the conflict ending with the Edict of Nantes in 1598, which granted religious toleration to the Huguenots and ended the wars.

The Catholic Reformation

Also known as the Counter-Reformation, was a period of Catholic revival that began in response to the Protestant Reformation which aimed to address the criticisms of the Catholic Church and to reassert its authority.

Mannerism

An artistic style that emerged in the late Renaissance period characterized by the distortion of proportions, exaggerated poses, and the use of artificial colors.

Baroque Art

Emerged in the 17th century characterized by its dramatic and ornate style where is it known for its use of light and shadow, intense emotions, and grandeur.

The Enlightenment

A philosophical movement that emerged in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries characterized by a focus on reason, science, and individualism, and a rejection of traditional authority and dogma.