Renaissance Study Guide

Political/Military - Causes for historical events including governments, laws, parties, war, strategies, armies, leaders, etc.

Social/Economic - Causes for historical events including classes, race/gender, disease, medicine, trade, supply/demand, currency, nat. Resources, etc.

Cultural/Intellectual - Causes for historical events which include scientific advancements, religion, new ideas, etc.

Renaissance - A period of rebirth based on Ancient Greek & Roman ideals where ideas and goods spread throughout Europe, art flourished during this period, starting in northern Italy and spreading to all  of europe. (1300-1600)

Secular - Worldly topics

Crusades - Religious campaigns to take back the holy land

Pope Urban II - The pope who ignited the Crusades

Looting - after defeating the towns or cities in battle, they looted them, finding silks and spices

Silks and Spices - were a major economic contributor to the Renaissance. After being brought back from the Crusades, they were in high demand in Europe.

Merchants - set up trade routes to meet the demand for silks and spices

Patrons - People who supported the artists monetarily.

Black Death - A bubonic plague epidemic that occurred between 1346 and 1353

symptoms - included tiredness, swelling lymph nodes, disrupted blood cells, and death.

Death rate -  ⅓ to ½ of the population will die, dropping down to 75 million, spread because infected rats get on boats, infect sailors, sailors.

Feudal System - A system in which a lord gave people land and protection and worked for them in return.

Mongols - East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia.

“Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die.” - a quote from the black death period convincing people to spend money on things they would otherwise have because they may die the next day.

Hundred Years War- Weaken nobility and was a cause of the Renaissance 

Longbow and cannon- Weapons that gave power to the peasant (longbow) and the kings (cannons)

Great Schism -Division of the church two popes weakened the catholic church weakened also caused the renaissance  

Pope Gregory - pope before the great schism that died and didn't have a son

Urban VI and Clement VII- The Popes that Started the Great Schism

Venice, Milan, Florence, and Genoa- Italian major port city-states

Middle ages - controlled by church, use secondary sources(church-approved), everything in Latin (services and writing), viewed humans as insignificant and sinful, all topics of writing and painting were religious

Renaissance - controlled by church, kings, and wealthy middle class, use primary sources, everything in the vernacular, viewed humans as good, and can improve, topics were secular, art flourished

Humanism- Emphasizes improvement and human potential to be good

Renaissance Man and Woman - Men: Athletic, Educated, Artistic, Use skills for city state/kingdom, Women: Graceful, Educated, “Inspire” Art instead of creating it, Use skills to support husband/father

Dante- Italian Writer and poet

Petrarch- French Poet

Linear Perspective, etc. - Styles of art created by Italian artists

Vanishing point - a spot where all lines go

Renaissance artists. Di Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello, brunelleschi

The Italian and Northern Renaissance Artists

The Courtier- A book created to explain how to be a good companion of a queen, king, or other ruler in their official home, especially in the past. Explains that they must be physically strong and be able to enjoy themselves.

Prince - a book written by Machiavelli, explains how to be a good prince, “it is better to be feared than loved, and “the ends justify the means” meaning that if you did something bad but it was for a good purpose then it is okay.

Christian Humanism- Belief in a better life and improvement

Christine de Pizan- first woman to earn a living as a writer, wrote “the book of the city of ladies”

Thomas Moore- Believed in a sense of equality different then John Knox wrote “utopia”  

Erasmus- Dutch priest, thought that all people should study bible, but he didn't like how the church was becoming greedy by selling indulgences, wrote “The praise of folley”

William shakespear - added 3000 words to the english language, created many famous plays

Michalangelo - realistic style when drawing human body

Donatello - sculptor, sculpted david and was the first to have a large, free standing sculpture

Da vinci - studied realism, studied how the muscle moves

Raphael - realism focusing on expressions

Anguissola and Gentileschi - Renaissance women that trained with their dad

Patroh and Boccaccio - humanism, poet, tragic and comical stories

Printing Press- Spread books and papers get ideas around quicker, first book is the Gutenberg bible, it is 500x fast than writing, cheaper books, reading rate goes from 1% to 10%

Impacts of Renaissance

1. More people can read

2. Church loses power

3. Advance learning and spread new ideas

4. New techniques = more realism in art

5. Traditional societal rules changing

6. Vernacular:Local Language 

7. Secular topics: Worldly Topic

8. Increase in education

   questions:

   1.  How can history be categorized and then analyzed? Describe the 6 themes of history.- Political and Military, social and economic, cultural and intellectual. Politics is how politics is relations between different countries and leaders. The military is how a country uses force to imply power. Social is how people and countries interact with each other. Economics is money and how this affects people and countries. Culture is a person's ethnicity and language. An intellectual is to  be educated

2. Describe the four long-term causes of the Renaissance.  How did political systems, social classes, the economy, education, and religion change?

   the Renaissance was sparked by a combination of political, economic, social, educational, and religious changes that created the ideal conditions for a cultural rebirth. The breakdown of feudalism, the rise of powerful city-states and a wealthy middle class, and the revitalization of education and classical learning set the stage for the explosion of art, science, and philosophy that characterized the period.

3. Why did the Renaissance start in Italy?

Italy was a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea, which meant it had port cities that produced a lot of money from trade. Its location also helped because it had easy access to Roman artifacts. It also had 4 cities, Venice, Milan, Genoa, and Florence, that had a population of 100k plus and this meant more merchants who were patrons to the artists, the greater population also gave a bigger talent pool.

4. How did Castiglione describe the perfect courtier?

   Baldassare Castiglione describes the ideal courtier as a well-rounded individual who embodies a balance of virtues and skills.

5. Describe the differences between the Renaissance Men and Renaissance Women.  Give examples of both.

Renaissance men were meant to be athletic, educated, artistic, and use their skills for their city-state/Kingdom. The ideal woman instead of being athletic, was meant to be graceful. They were meant to be educated but mainly in political issues so they would have something to talk about at parties. They were meant to inspire the art rather than create it and use their skills in support of their husband and if not their father.

6. How did art change?  How did literature change?

   During the Renaissance, both art and literature underwent profound transformations, driven by a renewed interest in classical antiquity, humanism, and a shift toward more individualistic and realistic expressions of the human experience. These changes reflect the broader cultural, social, and intellectual shifts of the time, marking a significant departure from the medieval approach to both visual and written forms of expression.

7. Is it better to be feared than loved?  How would Machiavelli answer this question?

Machiavelli states that if possible a ruler should strive to be both, but if they have to choose, it would be better to be feared than loved, because if you are only loved, you will get taken advantage of.

8. How did the Renaissance spread to the north? 

   It was driven by a combination of technological advances, social changes, intellectual movements, and economic shifts.

9. How is the Northern Renaissance different from the Italian Renaissance?

   the Northern Renaissance was more influenced by religious and social concerns, whereas the Italian Renaissance was characterized by a focus on secularism, individualism, and classical antiquity. Artists in the north embraced detail and realism, while Italian artists focused on idealized forms and classical proportions. Additionally, the Protestant Reformation played a larger role in shaping the religious and intellectual context of the Northern Renaissance.

10. How do the writings of Christine de Pizan, Thomas More and Erasmus reflect the values of the Christian Humanists?

    They combine the humanist commitment to learning, reason, and personal development with a deep Christian concern for morality, social justice, and religious reform. Through their critiques of society, education, and the Church, these writers sought to align human actions with Christian values, urging both personal and societal transformation.

11. Why is the Printing press better than copying works by hand?

    It enabled the mass production of books, reduced errors, lowered costs, and made written works more accessible to a broader audience.

12. How did the printing press impact society? Helped with the spread of information. Especially information regarding the Church. Like how people disagreed with the Church’s teachings or depictions of the bible.

13. Describe the impacts of the Renaissance.

The Renaissance caused a rise in literacy because of the printing press causing more books to be printed and Christian humanism had an emphasis on education, which also caused the rise in education. Established different traditional societal roles for men and women. Art began to depict more secular (worldly) topics rather than Church-approved topics. The use of the vernacular (local) language. New art techniques were created and more realism in art. Advance in learning and spread of new ideas due to the printing press. The last impact was a challenge to the church's power by encouraging scientific exploration, questioning religious documents, and the rise in humanism.