| What is the Renaissance? Where did it begin? What conditions made it possible? Why was Florence the city in which artistic and literary works first flowered? | Renaissance
foundations: Read Overview
Florence:Site (1): Click on 15th and 16th Centuries |
| What kind of political system had emerged in Italy by the 12th century? Who held political power by the early 15th century? Who were the five most powerful states on the Italian peninsula? How were political relations conducted among the Italian states? What does this portend for the future? | city-states : Scroll to "City States"
diplomacy and intrigue: same site as above |
| How did political relations in Italy draw in non-Italian states (France to begin with)? What major European powers fought on the Italian peninsula in the early 16th century? with what result? | French
invasion: Scroll
to "the Treaty of Lodi"
Map |
| What was the role of Savonarola in Florence and what is the significance in regard to the role of the common people? | Savonarola |
Theme (2): Intellectual hallmarks of the Renaissance
| What did renaissance scholars think of medieval civilization? of ancient Rome and Greece? Why did Renaissance scholars study the Classics? What was their attitude towards Christianity? | Pre-occupation with the Classics |
| What was the Renaissance attitude towards individuals and individual genius? What is meant by the Renaissance attitude of humanism? | Humanism
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| What was Lorenzo Valla's study "On the False Donation of Constantine" about? What impressions about life does Boccacio's "Decameron" convey? | Lorenzo
Valla
Boccaccio |
Theme (3): Art and the Artist in the Italian
Renaissance
| Who commissioned and financed the architects, painters, sculptors, and writers of the Renaissance? What was the general subject of most art work? What motivated the patrons of the artists? What was the status of Renaissance artists? How did Renaissance art differ from medieval art? | Medici
family
Site (2) Montefeltro at Urbino: Scroll to "2. EDUCATED SOCIETY IN URBINO" and "2.2 THE LIBRARY" Renaissance Popes Pope Julius II architecture, art, and music |
| What innovations in architecture were introduced, and who was the most famous architect? | Brunelleschi:
Short bio |
| What innovations in painting were introduced, and who were the principal painters? | Masaccio
Raphael
Leonardo da Vinci Paintings: Click on Mona Lisa Titian: Biography Paintings |
| What innovations in sculpture were introduced, and who were the principal sculptors? | Donatello
Michelangelo Pieta |
| What were the principal concerns of Italian Renaissance writers? | Castiglione:Site
(1): Scroll to "Castiglione"
Machiavelli |
Theme (4): Influence and spread of Renaissance
culture
| What occurred in regard to printing and paper manufacture in 15th century Europe? What was the impact? | Gutenberg impact of printing |
| How did the noblewoman's status change from medieval times? What kind of education did wealthy women usually have? What was the viewpoint of Laura Cereta about women and men? What role did Renaissance men assign to women? to themselves? in regard to the family and sensual indulgence? | Status of women:
Site (1) Laura Cereta: Especially see Paragraph 11 |
Theme (5): The Renaissance in northern Europe
| How did the cultural traditions of northern Europe change the way in which the Renaissance was expressed there? How did northern art and architecture compare with Italian art and architecture? | Introduction
Art in northern Europe: Site (1): click on Durer |
| What did Thomas More, the English humanist, believe was the primary source of vice and civil disorder? | More |
| What were among the achievements of the Christian humanist, Erasmus? What were his greatest writings? What two fundamental themes run through his work? | Erasmus
|
Theme (6): The growth of feudal monarchies
in western Europe
| What does the career of King Charles VII of France at the end of the Hundred Years War tell us about the role of the family in politics? What was the Pragmatic Sanction of 1438? How did King Louis XI contribute to the strengthening of the French monarchy? What were the terms and significance of the Concordat of Bologna? | King Charles VII of France Pragmatic Sanction of 1438 Concordat of Bologna: Scroll to "The Gallican Tradition" |
| What political developments occurred in England following the Hundred Years War? How did the policy King Henry VII strengthen the monarchy in relation to the nobility? How did he and his successors gain the support of the gentry (upper middle class)? | Henry VII |
| What was the Reconquista? How far had it progressed by the mid 15th century? What was the political map of Spain by the end of the 15th century? What was the make-up of the Royal Council established by Ferdinand and Isabella? How did it extend royal authority? | Reconquista: Timeline Site (2) |
| What was the role of Ferdinand and Isabella in establishing a powerful European dynasty? How did they finance the conquest of Granada?What happened to the Jews in Spain during the medieval era? in the late 14th century? during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella? What ideology became the foundation of the Spanish monarchy? How did royal marriage with the offspring of Ferdinand and Isabella affect the map of Europe and Spain in the 16th century? |
Isabella
See map below |
European Maps of the Middle Ages Maps of Europe AD1000:2000
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