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The Renaissance – Study Guide
1. What were the reasons for the Renaissance
 The Black Death left Europeans with a feeling of depression
 The failure of the Christians to win the Crusades added to it
 Constantinople, the main Christian city, fell to the Muslims in 1453
2. What does the word Renaissance literally mean, and why was this period given this title?
 Renaissance means rebirth
 The people saw all of the bad things happening around them during the Dark Ages as
a wake up call; a chance to start over
 They wanted to return Europe to its former glory when the Roman Empire had ruled a
majority of the world
o Rome=good
o Dark Ages=bad
3. When did the Renaissance occur and what defined this time period?
 Roughly covers from 1400-1700 AD
 It was a time when people focused on Roman and Greek classics
 It was a time of great discoveries in literature, art, science, and geography
4. Discuss the importance of the Silk Road.
 When the Mongols took over China they reopened the Silk Road
 This allowed Europe to trade with China
 Also ideas from China were brought back to Europe
o Like toilet paper, fireworks, and especially GUNPOWDER
5. Who was Marco Polo and why was he significant to the Renaissance?
 First European (Italian) to travel to China on the Silk Road in 1200s
 Wrote stories about his travels that shocked Europe
 They had no idea such things were in the world
 Europeans wondered why their stuff was so lame and China’s was so good
 They were inspired to invent and create new things
6. Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy?
 Three reasons why Renaissance began in Italy
o Italy’s location on the sea meant it had many travelers and traders
o It had the benefit of roads and architecture left over from the Roman Empire
o It sat on major trade routes
7. Who was the ruling family in the Florentine state, and what was their contribution to the
Renaissance?
o In Florence, the family in power was the Medicis
 A family of bankers who ruled Florence
 Paid many artists during the Renaissance
 Without them, the Renaissance may not have happened
8. What were some of the cultural as well as technological changes in society?
o The printing press
 Invented around 1450 by Johannes Gutenberg
 Spread reading to the masses since books became much cheaper
 The Church lost its control of knowledge being spread
o The study of HUMANISM
 Petrarch known as the father of Humanism
 The study of man’s ability to improve the quality of life on Earth through
studying the classics
 During the Middle Ages, people were more concerned with heaven.
Humanists changed their life on Earth
o Education
 Nobles-classical education (Latin)
 Middle Class- apprenticeships
 Goal was to be a “Renaissance Man”
 Skilled in all areas(education, art, science, literature)
 Example: Leonardo Da Vinci
o Family & Marriage
 Patriarchal Society
 Men are in charge
 Women remain in the home
 Arraigned marriages
9. What changes occurred in literature in Renaissance Society? Name some examples.
 Vernacular Literature
o Subjects of books not just about religion
 Love, guilt, sadness
o Books being written in native languages rather than in Latin.
 German, Italian, English, French
o Dante
 The Divine Comedy – Italian
o Chaucer
 Canterbury Tales - English
o William Shakespeare
 Greatest playwright in history
 Wrote dozens of plays, poems, and sonnets during his life
 Romeo & Juliet and Hamlet are considered to be the best plays
ever written
o Niccolo Machiavelli
 Advisor to the Medicis
 Wrote book called “The Prince” explaining how he believed a king
should take and hold power
 Said that “the ends justify the means”
 A leader should do whatever he must, whether right or wrong
to hold power
10. How did art change during the Renaissance period from the medieval period? Give examples
of artists and some of their famous works.
 Italian Renaissance
o perspective
 Objects “in back” are smaller, “in front” are larger
 Objects drawn are in proportion to each other
o Shadows and soft colors make the paintings more realistic
o Fresco’s
 Paintings that used plaster to give 3-D effect
 Northern Renaissance
o Spread from Italy
o More altar pieces and book illustrations, as churches had large stained
glass windows
 No walls to paint on, like in Italy
 Michelangelo
o Most known for painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (in Vatican
city in Italy)
o Statue of David
 Example of realism
 Leonardo Da Vinci
o Earned nickname “History’s first modern man”
o Painted the Mona Lisa
 Most famous painting in history
 Respected for its lifelike appearance and use of shading
 Also for the mystery of the woman’s smile
o Drew up blueprints for horseless carriage (car)
 Designed to run on springs because horses were easily scared
in battle
 Never actually made, just designed
o He spent a lot of time studying the human body so his art was very
lifelike
 He even examined dead bodies
 He made detailed sketches of bones and organs