The Renaissance Flashcards

Grade 9 · Social Studies · Flashcards

Key terms and figures for mastering the Renaissance.

Flashcards

Renaissance: 14th–17th century European cultural rebirth drawing inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman civilization.
Humanism: Intellectual movement emphasizing human reason, potential, and classical learning; central to the Renaissance.
Patron: A wealthy sponsor of artists and scholars; essential to funding Renaissance art and learning.
Medici family: Florence's ruling banking family and the Renaissance's most powerful patrons of art and scholarship.
Leonardo da Vinci: Italian Renaissance genius; painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper; also an inventor and scientist.
Michelangelo: Sculptor and painter of the Sistine Chapel ceiling and the statue of David.
Raphael: Renaissance painter famous for The School of Athens, depicting ancient Greek philosophers.
Perspective: Artistic technique creating depth and three-dimensionality on a flat surface; a key Renaissance innovation.
Printing press: Gutenberg's movable-type invention (~1440) that rapidly spread books and new ideas across Europe.
Nicolaus Copernicus: Renaissance astronomer who proposed that the Earth orbits the Sun (heliocentrism), contradicting Church doctrine.
Niccolò Machiavelli: Florentine writer whose book The Prince analyzed political power with cold realism rather than moral ideals.
Secularism: Focus on worldly, human concerns rather than exclusively religious ones; a hallmark of Renaissance thinking.