1. Where did the Renaissance begin
Where did the Renaissance begin? What factors helped it to develop there?
The Renaissance started in Italy.
Three important factors contributed:
Influence/relics from the Roman Empire
Trade with Byzantine Empire, North Africa (influence from other cultures)
Trade brought in enough money to spend on arts, sciences—people could afford to focus on more than survival

2. Medici Family
1. Led by Cosimo de Medici, and later by his grandson Lorenzo
2. Controlled city of Florence; dictators
3. Ruthless, but kept up appearance of elected government
4. Gained great wealth from banking
5. Patrons of the arts

3. Humanism ●A belief in the importance of the individual person
●A belief in the importance of education, especially in poetry, history, and literature (the humanities)
●A focus on human life instead of only focusing on God and getting to heaven

4. How did people’s beliefs or attitudes about life and Christianity during the Renaissance differ from those people held during the Medieval Period?
In the Medieval period, every part of daily life connected in some way with Christianity.
In the Renaissance, while people were still very religious, there was also an interest in secular (not religious) parts of life: entertainment, financial issues, science, art, love, etc.

5. Explain the role of patrons like the Medici Family and Isabella D’Este in the Italian Renaissance.
The Medicis and Isabella D’Este were PATRONS—they offered financial support to artists and spent huge amounts of money on art. They demonstrated their own importance by having portraits painted and donating art to public spaces in the cities.

6. Vernacular
Locally spoken language, rather than Latin that was commonly used in the Church and in writing (Italian, Spanish, French, English, German)
Boccaccio (The Decameron)
Dante (Divine Comedy--Inferno)
Chaucer (The Canterbury Tales)
Cervantes (Don Quixote)
Shakespeare (plays, poetry)

7. Where did the Northern Renaissance occur, and how did it differ from the Italian Renaissance?
The Northern Renaissance occurred in Germany, the Netherlands, England, and France.
In the North, there was a greater combination of Christianity and humanism, including questioning of the Church.
Northern art was more realistic—less idealistic than Italian art which focused on perfect human beauty.

8. Painters Italian --Raphael --Leonardo da Vinci --Michelangelo
--Donatello (sculpture)
--Gentileschi
Northern
--Albrecht Durer
--Hans Holbein
--Jan Van Eyck
--Jan Vermeer
--Pieter Brueghel
--Rembrandt

9. Who were the Christian Humanists? What did they believe?
Erasmus (The Praise of Folly),
Sir Thomas More (Utopia)
Applied humanist ideas to Christian teachings
Wanted to reform society and inspire people to live a Christian life, with less emphasis on Church rituals and ceremonies
Emphasized education, including education for women

10. Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg, German inventor of the moveable type printing press, adapted from a Chinese invention
The printing press made books inexpensive and widely available.
The printing press increased literacy in Europe.
Published accounts of discoveries led to more discoveries in many fields.
Published legal proceedings helped people better understand their rights.

11. What technological or scientific advancements were made during the Renaissance? From what part of the world did these reach Europe?
Printing Press, navigational tools, advancements in medicine and astronomy
These came from the Byzantine Empire/Ottoman Empire/Safavids, China, and North Africa.
Have students work with a partner. In a color that is different from their original answers, they should underline the parts of their answers that have the information given in my answers. If they don’t have it, they should add it in the different color. They should be evaluating the quality, accuracy and thoroughness of their work and their partner’s work.