Renaissance and Reformation Vocabulary

Black Death/bubonic plague The disease that wiped out nearly half of Europe’s population during 1347 to 1351

Church of England Also known as the Anglican Church; It was created when King Henry VIII wanted a divorce from his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and the Catholic church would not allow it so he created a church of his own.

Council of Trent As part of the Catholic/Counter Reformation, it was a group of cardinals, archbishops, bishops, abbots, and theologians that met off and on for 18 years in the city of Trent (Northern Italy) starting in March 1545.

Counter-reformation Another name for the Catholic Reformation; the Jesuits, reform of the papacy, and the Council of Trent gave support for the counter-reformation.

A painting done on fresh, wet plaster with water-based paints fresco A painting done on fresh, wet plaster with water-based paints

humanism An intellectual movement of the Renaissance based on the study of the humanities, which included grammar, rhetoric, poetry, moral philosophy, and history

indulgence A release from all of part of punishment for sin by the Catholic Church, reducing time in purgatory after death; “As soon as the coin in coffer rings, the soul from purgatory springs.”

Inquisition (Spanish or Italian) A court established by the Catholic Church to discover and try heretics; also called the Holy Office

Jesuits Also called the Society of Jesus; founded by Ignatius of Loyola; they used education to spread their message and they were successful in restoring parts of Germany and eastern Europe and others to Catholicism.

Lutheranism The religious doctrine that Martin Luther developed; it differed from Catholicism in the doctrine of salvation, which Luther believed could be achieved by faith alone, not by good works; Lutheranism was the first protestant faith

patron A person who hires someone for a work of art or a commission is a patron. Patronage is support that kings, popes, and other wealthy members of society gave to artists, sculptors, architects, and musicians. The Last Judgment by Michelangelo. Commissioned by Pope Clement VII

perspective An illusion of three dimensionality in art; lead to a more realistic art style

predestination The belief that God has determined in advance who will be saved (the elect) and who will be damned (the reprobate); one of the key beliefs in Calvinism

Printing press Invented by Johannes Gutenberg, in 1455; the first book printed on it was the Bible.

Protestant Reformation The religious reform movement that divided the western Church into Catholic and Protestant groups; in the 1500s, Martin Luther began the Reformation, which lead to further religious change.

The Renaissance (Italian) Also known as the “rebirth”; it originally took place in Italy between 1350 and 1550 before spreading to other parts of Europe. To some, this period marked the new age and the rebirth of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

“Bloody Mary” Mary was King Henry VIII’s daughter by Catherine of Aragon. In an attempt to restore England to Roman Catholicism, she had 300+ Protestants burned, which resulted in her nickname.

Albrecht Durer German artist; he learned about the laws of perspective from the Italians after visiting twice.

Donatello Donatello di Niccolo di Betto Bardi; an Italian sculptor who studied the statues of the Greeks and Romans; one of his famous works includes a statue of Saint George.

Filippo Brunelleschi An Italian architect; designed the church of San Lorenzo in Florence which was modelled after Roman buildings. Famous for his creation of the dome in the Florence cathedral.

Galileo Galilei The first European to use a telescope to make regular observations of the sky. He angered the Catholic church with his belief that the Earth was not the center of the solar system, the sun was.

Henry VIII He was the king of England from 1509-1547 when he died. He had six marriages and was known for his role in the creation of the Church of England.

A Spanish nobleman known for founding the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) Ignatius of Loyola A Spanish nobleman known for founding the Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

German inventor; invented the printing press Johannes Gutenberg German inventor; invented the printing press

John Calvin Fled his homeland of France after he converted to Protestantism; published Institutes of the Christian Religion, which summarized protestant thought; he believed in predestination, that it was already decided who would be saved and who would be damned.

Leonardo da Vinci An Italian painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, scientist, and mathematician; his most famous works include the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

Martin Luther Known for his Ninety-five Theses; he is one of the people who started the protestant reformation; founded Lutheranism

Medici dynasty Cosimo de’Medici took control of the city of Florence in 1434, later his Grandson, Lorenzo de’Medici took over. The Medici family ran the government when Florence was the cultural center of Italy.

Michelangelo An Italian painter, sculptor, and architect; his famous works include the paintings in the Sistine Chapel in Roman and his sculpture of David. Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Niccolo Machiavelli Author of The Prince, which explains how to acquire and keep political power.

An Italian painter; well known for his frescos in the Vatican Palace Raphael Sanzio An Italian painter; well known for his frescos in the Vatican Palace The School of Athens in the Vatican Palace

Sandro Botticelli An Italian painter well known for his painting titled The Birth of Venus.