Renaissance

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 * Italian Renaissance**- the rebirth of the culture of classical antiquity; economic growth helped to start; merchants gained political power that matched their economic power; it marks the transitional period between the end of the middle ages and the start of the Modern Age;


 * City-states-** People had an attachment to their city states, they had a sense of loyalty which hindered the development of one state. The major city states controlled the smaller ones, they also had a check system in place, if one state was becoming more dominant then the others the others combined to re-gain the balance of power.
 * Milan, part of "the big Five" in Italy. milan was ruled harshly by the Sforza family (signori rule). Along with Genoa, it served as a crossroads between the East and West, the North and south, which aided in land trade.**
 * Florence, Part of "the Big Five" in Italy. This was a republic ruled by the Medici Banking Family. Florence was known for it's banking. It was in charge of the church's money which made Florence very rich.**
 * Venice, Part of the "Big Five" in Italy. This was an internaional power ruled by a doge. It specialized in sea trade.**
 * Genoa- Part of "the big Five" in Italy. Along with Milan, Genoa served as a crossroads between the north and south, and the east and west which aided in over-land trade.**


 * Signori**- government by one man rule in Italian cities such as Milan; the right to rule was handed down to his son; some kept communal government in place but had no actual power.


 * Oligarchies-** ruled by few; not necessarily nobles or kings, usually wealthy aristocrats
 * Commenda system-** contract between merchant and merchant adventurer who agreed to take goods to locations and return with proceeds for one-third of the profit.


 * Condotierri-** mercenary generals of private armies hired by cities for military purposes


 * Republic of Florence-** a city-state ruled by the signoria council in 1115, until the Medici took control in 1434. It eventually broke apart when Pope Clement VII appointed Duke Alessandro de' Medici, creating a monarchy.


 * Medici Family**- The Medici Family was a strong family that ruled over Florence banks for centuries and had much political and financial influence in Italy and Florence. This family had many decedents that would later go on to become Great Dukes of Tuscany.


 * Cosimo de’ Medici-** The first political leader in the Medici dynasty. He used his mass amounts of money to control the political system in Florentine and sponsor artists.
 * Lorenzo de’ Medici (the Magnificent)**- Ruled the Florentine Republic during the Renaissance. He is mainly known for his contributions to the art world. He spent his money like any other typical Renaissance wealthy man, on art.He patronized many sculptors and painters in order to make himself seem more powerful. His life is sometimes associated with the golden ages of the Italian Renaissance.


 * Duchy of Milan**- a constituent state of the Holy Roman Empire, originally containing 26 towns and large rural land. It was conquered in the War of the Spanish Succession by the Austrians. Later, Napoleon conquered it.


 * Sforza Family**- a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, they gained power of the Duchy of Milan from the Visconti family, but eventually lost it to the Spanish Habsburgs a century later.


 * Republic of Venice**- The republic of Venice was a state that originated from the city of Venice that lasted for over a millennium. They were known for their economic and trading power. During the Renaissance this was one of the major city states due to this exact reason, and because of their placement in Italy which made them an ideal trading port.


 * Papal States**- were among the major historical states of Italy during the Renaissance and beyond. The Papal States comprised of territories under direct sovereign from the papacy. Control in this region was always contested, and expanded very rapidly.


 * Naples, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies** - .kingdom of Naples was under control of the king of Aragon. Naples and Florence entered into an agreement to conquer Milanese territories.


 * Girolamo Savonarola**- Savonarola was a Dominican friar who was known for being one of the first people to point out corruption occurring within the church. He was excommunicated in 1497 by pope Alexander VI.


 * Machiavelli, The Prince**- The Prince uses examples of rulers to show what is needed to preserve order and security. He said like "It is much safer for the prince to be feared than loved" and that one should be a lion to be able to defend himself and a fox to be smart enough to avoid traps.


 * Individualism** - There was a new attitude towards men and women, they believed every person has unique abilites and people recognized that they have unique talents. Sometimes shown through paintings and their new obsession with detailed faces. Stressed personality, genius, and fullest development of ones capability and talents.


 * Secularism** - People started to focus on the material world instead of the spiritual world, they flaunted their wealth with art and buildings. This would have much influence over the state for years to come. The Medici family, politiques, and aspects of credit for work are all good examples of secularism.


 * Sack of Rome, 1527** - symbolized the end of the Renaissance in Italy; Holy Roman Empire under Charles V carried this out


 * Charles V** - ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Spanish Empire as Charles I. He was also technically the first King of Spain. Charles V opposed the Protestant Reformation, supporting the Council of Trent which started the Counter-Reformation. Most of his rule was focused on the military success of the Italian wars against France.


 * Petrarch**- 'father of humanism"; first modern writer; called the Middle ages the 'Dark Ages'


 * Lorenzo Valla** - He was a latin expert, he even worked on revising the bible.
 * Castiglione, Book of the Courtier**- Baldassare Castiglione was a well know renaissance author, famous for his book of the courtier. This was basically a manual for how a good gentlemen should act during the 16th century.


 * Johann Gutenberg, printing press**- He recognized that the stamps used to mark jewlery could be covered with ink the same way others used wood as stamps to print books. He built racks that held the letters in rows that could be re-arranged for different pages, they also could be used over and over much longer than the wood stamps. This increased urban literacy tremendously.


 * Pope Alexander VI**- a very controversial pope with defining abilities in diplomacy and politics, causing great influence in the Renaissance. He had many enemies of Italian prelates and barons. He also had much French involvement, such as his temporary alliance and dealings with Charles VII.

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 * Brunelleschi, Il Duomo**- This guy painted the dome on the Cathedral of Florence, leading the way to the artistic Reniassance.
 * Ghibertu** - He used Bronze to make the doors on the Bapistry in Florence. Bronze is a humanistic quality. Shows that Florence was leading the rise of the artistic Reniassance in Italy.


 * Donatello, David** - Donatello was a famous artist during the Renaissance period, he is credited with developing the first david which was later redone by Michelangelo. His work also is said to capture the Beauty of the human form.


 * Botticelli, Birth of Venus** - Botticelli's Birth of Venus was a painting that depicted the goddess Venus, coming out of the Sea as a grown woman. This is a prime example of Renaissance art, and its characteristics. We see nudity, perfection, balance, and the depicting of Greek mythology, all traits that are exhibited in many Renaissance pieces.


 * “High Renaissance"** - The high renaissance was centered in Rome in the 16th Century,many painters and sculptors focused on the human body in its true form.


 * Leonardo da Vinci** - the "Renaissance Man," Leonardo was a famous painter with works of the //Mona Lisa,// and //The Last Supper.// However, he was also skilled in many aspects, including scientific theorizing and inventions, cartography, and mathematics.


 * Raphael, School of Athens** -Raphael Sanzio contributed to the changing of artistic styles during this time period. He painted hundreds of portraits and images. He wrote treatsies on his philosophy of art: importance of nature and developing an orderly sequence of design and proportion.


 * Michelangelo** - is a Renaissance artist, who is credited with creating many sculptures, most notably the David, and painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chaple. He art tended to focus on the individual, as did much art of this time.


 * David**- The "David" was a statue constructed by Michelangelo. It embodied the idea of human perfection and has come to be an iconic symbol of the Renaissance artistic brilliance by refering back to antiquity-as it is carved out of marble..


 * ceiling of the Sist****ine Chaple**- ordered to painted by Pope Julius II, Michelangelo was designated with the task and it took him 4 years to complete. The painting was decorated with religious scenes and equipped with ecclesiastical furniture.


 * Pieta- a sculpture made by Michelangelo, it depicts Jesus on the lap of his mother Mary, one of his most famous works.**
 * Mannerism** - the artists distorted the figures in their paintings by exaggerating musculature, using heightened color to express emotion and making the art more dramatic. This was agaisnt the typical art of the high renaissance. Artist who used this style include El Greco, who was from Greece, and Titan who was from Venice.


 * El Greco** - El Greco was a renowned painter and sculptor in the Spanish Renaissance. We see him display some typical Renaissance characteristics in his work, but he is more known for his use/pioneering of Mannerism in his works.


 * Northern Renaissance**- Refers to the Renaissance that occurred in northern Europe. This would produce many other Renaissance movements to begin to happen in other country's over the course of the next few years of it initially beginning. This Renaissance differed greatly in regards to art, where this Renaissance still focused much on religious matters.


 * Christian Humanism** - generally from the north who interpreted italian ideas about and attitudes toward classical antiquity and humanism with regard to their own religious traditions; thought they could bring reform to the church and deepen people's spiritual lives; wanted to combine classical and christian cultures. Included the low countries, France, Germany, and England.


 * Erasmus, In Praise of Folly** - devout catholic who sought to reform the church; criticized the immorality of the the Church leaders and the clergy; he wanted to apply aspects of humanism to the bible; he thought that education is the key to reform and christianity is inner spirit; his work influenced religious reformers such as Martin Luther