APEuroMidtermTerms

Chapter13
Renaissance:13501550,AFrenchwordmeaningrebirth,firstusedbyarthistorianand
criticGiorgioVasaritorefertotherebirthofthecultureofclassicalantiquity

Patronage:Moneygainedfromtheeconomicgrowthasaresultoftherevolutionwasusedto
hiretalentinasystemofPatronage,throughwhichcities,groups,andindividuals
commissionedwritersandartisttoproducespecificworks.

Communes:NorthernItaliancities,swornassociationsoffreemenwho,likeothertown
residents,beganinthe12thcenturytoseekpoliticalandeconomicindependencefromlocal
nobles.Themerchantguildsthatformedthecommunesbuiltandmaintainedthecitywalls,
regulatedtrade,collectedtaxes,andkeptcivilorders.

Popolo:ThecommonpeopleofItaliancitieswhoweredisenfranchisedandheavilytaxed,
theybitterlyresentedtheirexclusionfrompower.Theyusedarmedforceandviolenceincity
aftercitytotakeoverthecitygovernments,establishingRepublicanGovernmentsinwhich
politicalpowertheoreticallyresidesinthepeopleandisexercisedbytheirchosen
representatives

Condottieri:Militaryleadersbroughtinbymerchantoligarchiestoestablishorder,theyhad
theirownmercenaryarmies,andinmanycitiestheytookoverpoliticalpoweraswell.

Signori:ManycitiesinItalybecamethese,inwhichonemanruledandhandeddowntheright
toruletohisson.Somekepttheinstitutionsofcommunalgovernmentinplace,butthesehad
noactualpower.

Courts:inthe15thand16thcenturiesthesignoriinmanycitiesandthemostpowerful
merchantoligarchsinotherstransformedtheirhouseholdsintothese.Signoriandotherrulers
lived,conductedbusiness,andsupportedtheartshere.

SforzaFamily:Condottieriturnedsignori,theSforzaruledthesaidtoberepublicMilan
harshlyanddominatedMilan,alongwithseveralothersmallerinthenorthfrom1447to1535.

MediciFamily:GreatBankingfamilythat,inreality,startingin1434heldpoweralmost
continuallyforcenturies.Theirruledproducedthreepopes,whowereselectedfortheir
politicalskillsnottheirpiety.

PopeAlexanderVI:themostruthlesspopeoftheMediciFamilyrule,hewasaidedmilitarily
andpoliticallybyhisillegitimatesonCesareBorgia.

KingCharlesVIII:(French)calledonbyMilanwhenFlorenceandNaplesdecidedtotake

Milanterritories,invadedItalyin1494

GirolamoSavonarola:Dominicanfriar.PredictedthatGodwouldpunishItalyforitsmoralvice
andcorruptleadership.theFrenchinvasionwasinterruptedasafulfillmenttothisprophecy.
WhentheMedicidynastythatruledFlorencefell,hebecamethepoliticalandreligiousleader
ofthecity.Reorganizedthecityandtoldthepeopletodestroyanythingthatmightleadthem
tosin,knownasthe"bonfiresoffhevanities"

HabsburgValoisWars:thenamegiventotheconflictsbetweenFranceandtheHolyRoman
Empire,foughtonItaliansoil.

Renaissance:atermfirstusedinprintbyGiorgioVasari.ThetimeofRenaissanceinItaly
wasarebirthofculturethatfocusedonusingancientRomanandGreekworksasmodels.
FrancescoPetrarchfeltarenaissancewasneededtogetoutofthedarkagesthathadcome
betweenthetimesofRomeandthepeakoftheartsandculture,andagaintrytoreachthat
levelofperfection.

Humanism:thestudyofLatinclassicsinaprogramdesignedbytheItalianswiththegoalof
understandinghumannature.

Cicero:Romanauthorandstatesmanwho,intheopinionofthehumanists,inhisworksthe
gloryofRomehadbeenbrightest.

LeonardoBruni:HumanisthistorianandFlorentinecityofficial,closelylinkedthedeclineof
theLatinlanguageafterthedeathofCiceroandthedeclineoftheRomanrepublic.Madeit
clearinhiswritingsthatbytheperiodofhiswritingstheperiodofdecayhadendedandanew
erahadbegun

MarsilioFicino:UnderthepatronageofCosimodeMedici,themostpowerfulmanin
Florence,thisscholarbegantolecturetoaninformalgroupofFlorencesculturalelitehis
lecturesbecameknownasthePlatonicAcademy.HeldPlatoinhighregard,translatinghis
worksintoLatininanattempttosynthesizeChristianandPlatonicteachings.

GiovanniPicodellaMirandola:Ficinosmostbrilliantstudent,thoughtthatbothChristian
andclassictextstaughtthattheuniversewasahierarchyofbeingsfromGoddownthrough
spiritualbeingstomaterialbeings,withhumanitythecruciallinkrightinthemiddle,both
materialandspiritual.WroteOntheDignityofMan,stressingthatmanpossessesgreat
dignitybecausehewasmadeasAdamintheimageofGodbeforethefallandasChristafter
theResurrection.AccordingtoPico,manistheonepartofthecreatedworldthathasno
fixedplace,butcanfreelychoosewhethertorisetotherealmoftheangelsordescendtothe
realmoftheanimals,becauseofthedivineimageplantedinhim,heistrulyamiraculous
creature.

Virtu:Thequalityofbeingabletoshapetheworldaccordingtoonesownwill.Possessedby
individualswhohadrisenabovetheirbackgroundtobecomebrilliant,powerful,orunique.

LeonBattistaAlberti:proudrenaissancemanwhotookprideinhisachievements,hewrote
literatureandthefirstscientificanalysisofperspective.Hewroteanautobiographyreferring
tohimselfasheinsteadofI

TheCourtier:BookbyBaldassareCastiglione,soughttotraindiscipline,andfashionthe
youngmanintothecourtlyideal,thegentlemen.Believedaneducatedmanshouldhavea
broadbackgroundinmanysubjects,andhisspiritualandphysicalaswellasintellectual
capabilitiesshouldbetrained.HowtobookonbecomingaRenaissanceman

NiccoloMachiavelli:Bestknownpoliticaltheoristofthisera,secretarytooneofthe
governmentbodiesinthecityofFlorenceaftertheMedicifamilyhadfallenfrompowerdueto
theFrenchinvasion.WroteThePrince,whichusestheexamplesofclassicaland
contemporaryrulerstoarguethatthefunctionofaruler,oranygoverningbody,istopreserve
orderandsecurity,hemustdowhateverhecantopreservethesethings,buthemustnotdo
anythingtomakethepeopleturnagainsthim.

ChristianHumanists:NorthernhumanistswhosharedtheideasofFicinoandPicoaboutthe
wisdomofancienttexts,buttheywentbeyondItalianeffortstosynthesizetheChristianand
classicaltraditionstoseehumanistlearningasawaytobringaboutreformofthechurchand
deepenpeoplesspirituallives.

Utopia:WrittenbyThomasMonroe,acontroversialdialoguetitledwithawordheinvented
formtheGreekwordnowhere.Itdescribesacommunityonanislandsomewherebeyond
Europewhereallchildrenreceiveagoodeducation,primarilyintheGrecoRomanclassics,
andadultsdividetheirdaysbetweenmanuallabororbusinesspursuits.Itexpressedtheidea
ofhavingthegovernmentsolvethecitizensproblemsofhungerandpoverty.Themesof
religioustolerationandorderandreasonprevail.

DesideriusErasmus:Dutchhumanist,famerestedlargelyonhisexceptionalknowledgeof
GreekandtheBible.SomeofhiswritingsincludeTheEducationofaChristianPrince,book
combiningidealisticandpracticalsuggestionsfortheformationofarulerscharacterthrough
thecarefulstudyofPlutarch,Aristotle,Cicero,andPlatoThePraiseofFolly,asatireof
worldlywisdomandapleaforthesimpleandspontaneousChristianfaithofchildrenand
mostimportantlyacriticaleditionoftheGreekNewTestament.

JohannGutenberg:Usedmetalstamps,thatwereoriginallyusedtomarksymbolsonjewelry,
dippedininkandusedtomarksymbolsontoasurface,paper.Itcouldbeusedoverandover
againandcouldbeusedtoprintdifferenttextbychangingthestamps.(CreatedPrinting
Press)

PrintingRevolution:Enabledbythesurplusofpaper,whichwasalsomadeusingtechniques
thathadoriginatedinChinaandwerebroughtintoEuropethroughMuslimSpain,thecreation
ofmoveablemetaltype,printingpresscreatedbyJohannGutenberg,andincreasedliteracy
promotedthesaleofbooks.

FilippoBrunelleschi:Delegatedbytheclothmerchantstobuildthedomeonthecathedralof
Florence

LorenzoGhiberti:Delegatedbytheclothmerchantstodesignthebronzedoorsofthe
adjacentBaptistery,aseparatebuildinginwhichbaptismswereperformed.

Michelangelo:CommissionedbyPopeJuliusIItopainttheceilingoftheVaticansSistine
ChapelinRome,itwasdemandedheworkfastandthePopefrequentlyvisitedtheartistas
heworkedwithsuggestionsandcriticisms.Michelangelowasirritatedbythisandcomplained
tothepope,yetfinishedhiswork.

Realism:AnewstyleofartintheRenaissancecreatedbyGiotto.Histreatmentofthehuman
bodyandfacereplacedtheformalstiffnessandartificialitythathadlongcharacterized
representationofthehumanbody.

PerspectivePainting:PioneeredbyAndreaMantegnaandPierodellaFrancesca,itisthe
linearrepresentationofdistanceandspaceonaflatsurface.

Mannerism:DevelopedbyTitanandother16thcenturypainters.Inthisstyleartists
sometimesdistortedfigures,exaggeratedmusculature,andheightenedcolortoexpress
emotionanddramamoreintently.(TheLastJudgementbyMichelangelo)

DebateaboutWomen:Beganintheendofthe14thcentury,itwasadebateaboutwomens
characterandnaturethatwouldlastforcenturies.Femalesweredenouncedasdomineering,
demanding,anddevious.Inanswertothisseveralauthorscreatedalistofwomenwhodid
greatworksanddeservedpraiseandexpressedbravery,loyalty,andmorality.Itdiscussed
womensqualitiesandroleinsociety.

CharlesVII(French):CrownedbyJoanofArcatReims,revivedthemonarchyandFrance.
Hewasfrailandindecisiveandcomefromatroubledfamily.HeexpelledtheEnglishfrom
Frenchlandby1453,reorganizedtheroyalcouncil,givingincreasedinfluencetolawyersand
bankersandstrengthenedroyalfinancesthroughsuchtaxesliketheGabelleonsaltandthe
Taille,alandtax.

LouisXI:Thespiderking,sonofCharlesVII.Improvedhisfathersarmy,anduseditto
controlthenobelsseparatemilitiasandtocurburbanindependence.

HenryIV:Englishleader,dominatedthearistocracyandindulgedindisruptiveviolenceatthe

locallevel

NewChristians:A14thcenturytermforjewsandmuslimswhoacceptedChristianityin
manycasestheyincludedChristianswhosefamilieshadconvertedcenturiesearly.They
wereoftenwelleducatedandheldprominentpositionsingovernment,thechurch,medicine,
law,andbusiness.