Unit 1 Study Guide

Matthew Padgett

Part I Terms and Definitions

Henry VII: King of England and Lord of Ireland from August 22 1845 until his death
on April 21 1509. IS responsible for restoration and political stability in England
however was criticized for using shady tactics to achieve such political stability.

Ferdinand and Isabella: Married in 1469, both looked to unite their land through
Christianity. They are known for uniting Spain but driving out the middle class,
making economic growth impossible.

Louis XI: Son of Charles VII, known as the Spider King. A New Monarch, he began
the centralization of France.

Joan of Arc: Peasant girl who went to the French court in order to persuade king
Charles VII to take the throne. She is regarded for ending the war between the
French and the English, aiding in a French victory.

John Wyclif: Attacked church corruption, insisted that the bible source of Christian
truth. Was persecuted by the church, his teaching allowed women to preach.

Martin V: A pope elected by the Council of Constance. He is responsible for ending
the great schism.

Dante Alighieri: Known as father of the Italian language, was born in Florence. HE
was a very well known poet in the Italian Renaissance, known for writing The Divine
Comedy.

Geoffery Chaucer: Worked with English kings and wrote poetry. Wrote the
Canterbury Tales, a collection of stories which reflected on the cultural tensions of
the time.

Pico della Mirandola: Italian philosopher and humanist. He wrote the essay on the
dignity of man that said that humans are good and have control over the direction of
their life.

Giovanni Boccaccio: Known for writing Decameron, his account of reactions to the
Black Death. The Decameron said that everyone had abandoned all responsibility
and felt as if their days were numbered during the Black Death.

Petrarch: Known as The Father of Humanism wrote poetry using classic languages
such as Italian and Latin. Considered one of the European Greatest Poets, inspired
for his love for a woman named Laura.

Machiavelli: Known for writing The Prince while exiled. Says that in order for a ruler
to do what is best for his kingdom he must forget morals and honesty and just do
what is necessary for his kingdom to flourish and advance.

Castiglione: Known for writing The Courtier, discussed ideal men and women. Is
known for establishing what defines a renaissance man, saying that men should be
talented in many different fields.

Medici Family: Family that was part of the wealthy merchant class, came out of it
extremely successfully. They were a banking family known for controlling politics
and culture on and off in Florence during the 1400s.

Donatello and key works: Early Italian Renaissance artist and sculptor from
Florence. He sculpted the first 360 degree sculpture, a bronze sculpture of David,
king of Israel.

Brunelleschi (Duomo): Florentine architect who was the first great architect of the
Italian renaissance. Arguably started the Renaissance by creating the first dome
since the classical age, the Duomo in Venice.

Leonardo da Vinci: Italian painter, sculptor, engineer, scientist and architect, a real
renaissance man. His two most famous works are probably the Mona Lisa and the
Last Supper.

Michelangelo: Italian painter and sculptor, another renaissance man. He is most well
known for his Statue of David, and the Sistine Chapel Ceiling.

Raphael: Italian painter whose many paintings exemplify the ideals of the High
Renaissance. Well known for his painting: The School of Athens, which shows all
aspects of the renaissance.

Johan Gutenberg: Greatly improved the printing press, which changed the private
and public lives of Europeans. The printing press enhanced literacy, and more
efficiently printed the bible.

Thomas More: English statesman, who wrote Utopia. Was imprisoned and executed
by Henry VIII for opposing a break between church and state.

Desiderius Erasmus: Dutch humanist who supported Northern Humanism and
stressed a more Christian view on ruling. Wrote The Education of a Christian Prince,
believed in education and Christianity.

Jan Van Eyck: A Flemish painter that used oil paintings to create a sense of reality
and depth. Well known for the Ghent Altarpiece and his portrait of Giovanni
Arnolfini and His Bride.

Albrecht Durer: Northern Renaissance artist, known for his metal and wood
engravings. Made Praying Hands and other works of art by using metal and wood
engravings.

Feudalism: Dominant social system in Europe during the middle ages, in which
nobility held lands from the crown in exchange for military service, and in which
peasants were given protections for tending to the land.

Manorialism: The economic, political, and social aspects of feudal life in which all life
was centered around the lords manor. Declined in western Europe in the 13th
century but made its peak in Eastern Europe during the 15th century.

Scholasticism: A method of study based in logic and dialect that dominated medieval
schools. Based on Aristotelian logic and in a theological view.

New Monarchs: Rulers that took power by reducing the power of the nobility
through the ability to fund private armies.

Great Schism: Started over a dispute over the French crown between Urban and
Clement VII, and divided western Christendom until 1417. Urban was in Rome and
Clement VII was in Avignon.

Craft guilds: Provided a small minority of men and women living in towns and cities
with the psychological satisfaction of involvement. Set high standards for their
merchandise.


Babylonian Captivity: A period in which seven popes resided in Avignon, which was
started over the conflict over the French crown and the papacy.

Conciliar Movement: A movement that stressed that the Catholic church should be
led by councils of cardinals instead of popes.

Hundred Years War: Caused by the dispute over the French crown, the Hundred
Years War was won by the French thanks to artillery against Englands longbow.

War of the Roses: War for control of the English crown between the York and
Lancaster houses. In 1485 Henry Tudor (Lancaster) defeated King Richard III of
York.

Vernacular Literature: The rise of literature being written in national languages, and
showed national consciousness. Was shown in Dantes Divine Comedy and Chaucers
Canterbury Tales.


Black Death: Plague that emerged from western Europe and spread throught the
means of coughing, sneezing, and the bites of infected fleas. The plague was blamed
on poisoned air, Jews poisoning Christian water wells, or a punishment from God.
Lowered English population greatly and caused economic growth.

Peasant Revolts: Somewhat sparked by the Hundred Years War, the Peasant Revolts
were attempts to put serfdom to an end in the German states, however was
unsuccessful.

Peace of Lodi: Peace agreement between Milan, Naples, and Florence that
established boundaries between cities as well as a balance of power of politics in
Italy. Sets the stage for the Renaissance to be able to happen.

City-states: An independent entity whose territory consists of a city which is not
administered as part of another local government.

Patronage: The power to control appointments to office or the right to privilages.

Renaissance: A rebirth of Greek and Roman Classics, after the Middle Ages. The
start of the Renaissance is marked somewhat by the creating of the Duomo by
Brunelleschi, showing a coming out of the darkness of no progress and entering the
light of progress.

Civic Humanism: An intellectual movement in Renaissance Italy based upon the
study of Greek and Roman classics.

Christian Humanism: A Northern European Renaissance that is a branch of
humanism. Christian humanists studied classical texts however they sought to
search out classic literature with a more Christian content.

Individualism: A philosophy emphasizing the strength of an individual and his role
in society.

Secularism: A main principle of the Renaissance, the concept that government
should exist separately from religion.

Quattrocento: Italian for fifteenth century


Part II Review Questions

1. The Black plague led to many things regarding shaping European society,
especially in terms of affecting wages and demand on labor. First, it led to a more
efficient balance between labor, land, and capital. Next, because of the population
decline there was an increase in per capita wealth. Population decline also meant a
greater demand for labor resulting in greater mobility among the peasant and
working class.

2. Yes it does, much change happened because of the Hundred Years War. First, it
stimulated the development of the English parliament. Representative assemblies
laid the foundations for the representative institution of modern liberal-democratic
nations. However, France did not participate in representative assemblies because
they believed that representative assemblies threatened the kings power. In both
countries, the war promoted nationalism.

3. Two major challenges faced the Catholic Church in the fourteenth century. These
two challenges were the Babylonian Captivity, and the Great Schism. Both of these
were challenges to the church because the decreased the prestige of the Catholic
Church. First, the Babylonian Captivity damaged the churches prestige because it
warranted a perception that all of the popes were highly influenced by and in favor
of the Kings of France, which led to major corruption. Second, the Great Schism,
which damaged the churchs prestige because it split the church, reducing the
authority of the Catholic Church for a long time.

4. Feudalism is a system in which a lord owns land which he gives off to knights who
are paid in land to protect the land and the lord. These knights would then have
serfs tend to the land in turn for protection. Europe became a feudal society in the
middle ages because there was no central government in place to provide protection
for the people. The Black Plague was largely responsible for ending feudalism
because it decreased the population, resulting in higher wages and a higher demand
for labor around Europe.

5. The oil of commerce lit the lamp of culture in the sense that the wealthy merchant
class provided the means and wealth necessary for a Renaissance. Once money was
once again put into the economy by the rich merchant classes, such things like
Renaissance artwork and architecture seemed desirable and reflected wealth. Rich
merchants would pay to have art done in their house, or have a portrait done,
however once the light of culture was lit the light did not end at the rich merchant
class. Renaissance ideas showed up around Italy spreading the ideas of the secular
spirit, classicism, individuality, and the dignity of man.

6. Nobles that realized that they could not get ahead of the wealthy merchant class
intermarried with the wealthy merchants creating the urban nobility. This urban
nobility became the class of wealthy merchants. This helped move towards a
republican government because a republican government would give the rich
merchant class a bigger say in politics.

7. The renaissance did spark a new way of thinking. Such ways of thinking were the
self-conscious awareness, humanism, and the secular spirit. These all stress the
power of man and mans ability to create and contribute to society. Self conscious
awareness, also known as individualism, was a mindset towards a passion for fame,
ambition, and success. Humanism was an attempt to revive the mindset of the
classical age, through reading Latin and Greek classics to learn about humanity and
human nature. Pico della Mirandolas On the Dignity of Man exemplified humanism.
Finally, the Renaissance took on a secular spirit, which is a focus on the material
world instead of the spiritual world. This showed people that humanity was not
doomed to suffer as was thought in the middle ages.
8. Although humanists criticized the middle ages, not all of the middle ages were
completely dark and uneventful. One of the main things that wasnt bad about the
middle ages is that although much was lost in forms of intellectuality and art there
was still a stable form of life through manorialism. A negative aspect of humanism is
that humanists believe themselves to be the best and the most high, creating for
themselves a false sense of being better than everybody else. Their feelings of
superiority were shot down through the Sack of Rome in 1527.

9. The Northern Renaissance differed from that of Italy in one major way. This major
way was the presence of a stress on Christianity. In Italy, the stress was on a secular
spirit, which meant a stress on the material world instead of a stress on the spiritual
world. This was completely different for the Northern Renaissance. In the Northern
Renaissance there was a much greater stress on Christianity. Northen humanists
studied ancient greek and latin texts but studied them for insight into Christianity in
its pure form.

10. Christian Humanism and Civic Humanism differ greatly. Civic Humanism
stresses the ability of man as an individual to apply his knowledge to greater
society. Christian Humanism had a greater stress on Christianity. This was shown by
both Sir Thomas More and Desiderius Erasmus. First, Sir Thomas More refused to
sign the act of succession because he would not recognize Henry VIII as head of the
church neither would he recognize the validity of his divorce of Catherine of Aragon.
He wrote Utopia, which points to his thought that a perfect society was not
achievable. Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch monk who criticized the Church in his
Praise of Folly. He wrote a Latin translation of the New Testament and his criticisms
of the church are said to have lit the spark of the protestant reformation.


11. Obstacles to royal authority faced by kings of France and elsewhere had to do
with the support of the people. One example of this was when Clement III was
refused the crown due to being betrayed by the French papacy. This resulted in
Urban to receive the crown, starting the Hundred Years War. France supported
Clement as the rightful heir to the throne. The support of the people was crucial to
the crown.

12. The new monarchs were considered new because they consolidated power to
themselves by reducing the power of the nobility. They created a foundation for
Europes first modern nation-states in France, England, and Spain. They also
increased public debt by taking out loans and reduced the political power of the
clergy. They were able to fund private armies which could be trained and could
easily conquer feudal areas.

13. Life for upper class women changed in a few ways. First, women became more
educated so that they could serve as a worthy wife to add to their husband. Second,
Europes first feminist, Christine de Pisan, wrote The city of Ladies, which began a
new debate over the proper role of women in society. However, much stayed the
same for women during the Renaissance. They still played the role of a domestic
housewife, and her only roles in in the house were cooking, cleaning, and
conceiving.

14. Renaissance Art had five defining characteristics. These five defining
characteristics were three-dimensional realism, geometric harmony, individuality,
anatomical naturalism, and classicism. These greatly differed from Medieval art
because they stressed the importance and potential of man instead of putting man
in a light of having no potential and only having been put on earth to suffer through
life to achieve the end goal of heaven.

15. Patronage during the renaissance changed in a few ways and this change
affected the status of the artist in a positive light. Wealthy people in the renaissance
paid artists to create art, sculpture, or architecture for them in order to show their
social status. This made the artist a high-class citizen as he worked for the wealthy
and for the most part only the wealthy. An artists status was reflected by who he
had done work for.

16. Italy was not a political entity int eh early modern period. Italy was divided into
smaller city states and territories. Many of the cities stood among ancient ruins of
roman buildings. Italy consisted as a giant trade center as it was a peninsula. Italys
political development relied solely on the wealthy merchant class, which brought on
a wealth to Italy that allowed artistic projects to be commissioned, and which
allowed more private leisure time for private study. On the other hand, Ferdinand
and Isabella sought to centralize the Spanish government on a Christian basis. They
got to making Spain completely Christian by driving out the Jews and the Muslims,
which made up the vast majority of the middle class. Without the middle class,
economic growth could not happen.


Part III Chronological Awareness

1.Babylonian Captivity Begins (1309)
2. Black Death comes to Europe (1347)
3. Golden Bull of Emperor Charles IV (1356)
4.Gutenburg develops the European printing press (1450)
5. Peace of Lodi (1454)
6. War of the Roses Begins (1455)
7. Brunelleschi finishes the dome of the Duomo (1461)
8. Ferdinand and Isabella recapture Granada (1492)
9. Machavellis Prince is written (1505)
10. Spanish Sack of Rome (1527)

Part IV Multiple Choice Practice

1. The dominant trend of government in Renaissance city-states in Italy was from?
a. Republicanism to despotism.
b. Democracy to theocracy.
c. Absolutism to democracy.
d. Despotism to theocracy.
e. Republicanism to theocracy.

2. A basic feature of the feudal system is
a. The association of land ownership and military power.
b. The strict separation of church and state.
c. Participation in government by all classes.
d. Rapid social and political change.
e. A centralized government under the rule of a king.

3. Which of the following originated in the Renaissance Italian city-states?
a. The use of checks and balances
b. The concept of a social contract
c. The need for Christian moral principles as a guide for government leaders
d. The modern system of resident ambassadors and embassies
e. The use of the separation of powers

4. Which of the following is true of the Black Death?
a. It originated in southern Europe and was spread by the invasion of the
Mongols.
b. It was brought to Italy and the rest of Europe by crusaders returning from the
Middle East.
c. It spread quickly among the peasants, who were more susceptible to diseases
because they had already endured drought and famine.
d. It traveled from Asia to Genoa by way of merchant sailors, who then came in
contact with other merchants on the Italian peninsula.
e. It was a plague sent by God to curse Europeans for their disobedience and
wickedness.

5. All of the following were effects of the invention of printing on European life
EXCEPT
a. Renaissance ideas and learning spread beyond the upper classes to even the
poorest Europeans as education became more readily available
b. With the greater availability of books, a greater desire for knowledge soon
emerged
c. Printing led to the sharing of ideas among scholars and accelerated discoveries
in fields such as the sciences
d. Printing led to the development of a greater lay reading public
e. Printing led to the development of a standardized texts


6. Which of the following statements best describes Renaissance humanism?
a. It was promoted by the Church as a means to educate the population so they
could read the Bible.
b. It was a product of the lower classes, who wished to show that they had worth
in Renaissance society.
c. It was an intellectual movement that rejected the ideals of the ancient Greeks
and Romans.
d. It was rejected by Petrarch as detrimental to the advancement of society.
e. It was an intellectual movement that was based on the study of the classical
works of the Greeks and Romans.

7. The most important step in the development of modern Spain was
a. The marriage of Isbabella of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon in 1469
b. The development of a strong Spanish army
c. The expulsion of Muslims and Jews from Spain
d. The introduction of the Inquisition to Spain in 1478
e. The assertion of the right of the Spanish monarchs to select the most
important Spanish Church officials

8. Which of the following is true of the political organization of the Italian states?
a. They were centralized under a powerful monarchy.
b. They were separated into groups of large, powerful city-states.
c. They were ruled by a powerful emperor.
d. They banded together as the republic of Italy.
e. They were ruled by a shared arrangement of power between Spain and Italy.

9. Pope Boniface VIIIs issuing of the bull Unam Sanctam
a. put him directly at odds with the king of England.
b. allowed the church to increase its authority over economic affairs.
c. put Europe on a path to allow more religious freedoms.
d. eliminated religious conflicts within Europe.
e. placed the church in direct opposition to the secular state.

10. Filippo Brunelleschis dome of the Duomo in Florence
a. illustrated a shift from medieval architectural design to a more classic design
reminiscent of ancient Greece and Rome.
b. showcased the Gothic architecture of medieval European society.
c. was built to glorify the supremacy of the papacy.
d. was a blending of architectural styles resulting from Brunelleschis travel
outside Europe.
e. is an example of the new humanist architecture that became prominent in
northern France.