Ch. 15 test review

How did the works of northern European artists differ from the works of Italian artists?

A key difference was the scale of their works.

How was education during the Renaissance shaped by humanism?

By creating a liberal course of study that prepared the whole person through varied studies.

How did humanism help define the Italian Renaissance?

By stressing the individual, the classics, new approaches to education, and new artistic techniques and subjects.

What contributed to the rise of the Italian states during the Renaissance?

Causes: their independence, in the absence of a central Italian ruler, and their wealth, derived from trade.

Who is the father of Italian Renaissance humanism?

Francesco Petrarch

How did Machiavelli's work influence political power in the Western world?

He encouraged ruthlessness in the exercise of political power in the Western world and he argued that political activity should not be restricted by moral principles. The ends justify the means.

What two major developments in the Renaissance combined to vastly increase the literacy rate (the number of people who could read) among Europeans?

Mechanized printing and texts written in the vernacular

How was society characterized during the Renaissance?

Renaissance society had a rigid social structure largely based on wealth, and fathers dominated family life. Society had been divided into three social classes: the clergy, the nobility, and the peasants and townspeople. Peasants still constituted the vast majority of the total European population

What were the major territorial states in Italy and what enabled them to rise to power? What kind of power did they have?

The city-states of Milan, Venice, and Florence, the Papal States centered in Rome, and the Kingdom of Naples were the five major territorial states in Renaissance Italy. The Italian states rose to power as a result of a prosperous trade that had expanded during the Middle Ages. Each state dominated the economic, political, and cultural life of its region.

How did the growth of monarchical states in Europe affect the Italian states?

The growth of monarchical states in Europe caused problems for the Italian states. Monarchies in Europe wanted the riches of the Italian states, and the result was decades of battles between the French and the Spanish, who fought to dominate the region.

What was Machiavelli's most influential work?

The Prince

What was a key difference between the northern European artists and the Italian artists?

In the north, the Gothic cathedrals with their stained glass windows did not allow enough space for the fresco painting that the Italians were doing. Therefore, many northern European artists concentrated on painting illustrations for books and wooden panels for altarpieces.