Renaissance Study Guide
Part 1: Unit Vocabulary
1.
Crusades – a series of military expeditions by Christians to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslims
2.
Black Death – a deadly plague which killed about 1/3 rd of Europe’s population
3.
Renaissance – means “rebirth” and refers to the period that followed Europe’s Middle Ages
4.
Humanism – a way of thinking and learning that stresses the importance of human abilities and actions
5.
Aristocrats – wealthy business men who rose in political power on the Italian Peninsula
6.
Patrons – supporters of the Renaissance artists
7.
City-States – how the Italian Peninsula was politically organized in the Renaissance
8.
Medici Family – the family who gained great wealth and political power in Florence
9.
Pope – the leader of the Roman Catholic Church; also a Patron of the Renaissance
10.
Leonardo da Vinci – Italian master and genius who was a: painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, engineer, etc.
11.
Michelangelo – Italian master who sculpted, painted, wrote poetry and designed buildings
12.
Dante – Italian politician and poet who wrote in Italian, not Latin, which was the common language
13.
Machiavelli – Italian writer and politician who wrote The Prince, which gave leaders advice on how to rule
14.
Northern Renaissance – humanism ideas spread into northern Europe; it took on a more religious form
15.
Bacon – English scientist who is considered the father of the Scientific Method
16.
Gutenberg – a German blacksmith who developed a printing press that used moveable type
17.
Erasmus – a Dutch priest and philosopher who spoke out against the Catholic Church
18.
Durer – German painter who studied anatomy ( the body) so that he could paint people more realistically
19.
Cervantes – Spanish writer of Don Quixote; a story which makes fun at the romantic tales of the Middle Ages
20.
Shakespeare – English playwrite and poet; considered the greatest writer in the English language
21.
Copernicus – Polish astronomer who proved the sun was the center of the universe; The Church said No!!
22.
Galileo – Italian astronomer who proved Copernicus was correct; used a telescope to study Jupiter’s moons
23.
Reformation – a reform movement against the Roman Catholic Church
24.
Martin Luther – German priest who protested against the Roman Catholic Church
25.
95 Theses – the list of complaints about practices and beliefs of the Roman Catholic Church
26.
Protestants – those who protested against the Roman Catholic Church
27.
Excommunication – to be kicked out of the Roman Catholic Church
28.
Indulgences – items purchased which shortened punishment from sinning; “get out of Hell cards”
29.
John Calvin – a French priest and philosopher who believed in predestination, or that God already knew everything and had already planned events
30.
Counter Reformation – the Catholic Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation
31.
Christopher Columbus – an Italian explorer who sailed for Spain attempting to find a new trade route to Asia; discovered the “New World”
32.
Ferdinand and Isabella – king and queen of Spain; united Spain, kicked out Jews & Muslims, funded Columbus’s voyage
33.
Inquisition – Church court set up to find heretics; used greatly in Spain to find: Muslims, Jews and Protestants
34.
Henry VIII - king of England who took control of religion and made the monarch the head of the Church in
England
35.
Elizabeth I – Queen of England, daughter of King Henry VIII, ruled England for 40 years proving women could be powerful leaders
Part 2: Unit Essential Questions

1.
What key historical events led to the beginning of the Renaissance in Europe?
2.
How did the Black Death lead to the rise of the Middle Class Merchants in Europe?
3.
How did the Italian Peninsula’s geography lead to it being the birthplace of the Renaissance?
4.
How did geography affect Portugal, England, and Spain’s ability to become naval powers and empires?
5.
Identify several accomplishments of: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and several key historical figures.
6.
What did Copernicus, Galileo, and bacon contribute to our scientific understanding of the world?
7.
What complaints did people have against the Roman Catholic Church which eventually led to the Protestant Reformation?
8.
How did the Catholic Church respond to the Protestant Reformation?
9.
Compare and Contrast Martin Luther’s split of the Roman Catholic Church with King Henry VIII’s split of the Roman Catholic Church?
Provide similarities and differences.
Part 3: Review Vocabulary
1.
democracy-
2.
direct democracy-
3.
Polytheism-
17. Hinduism
18. Judaism-
19. Irrigation-
11. Dynasties
12. Confucianism
13. Roman Republic
4.
Monotheism-
5.
Division of labor-
6.
7.
Fossil-
Cuneiform-
20. Scribe-
21. delta-
22. Artifact-
23. Hieroglyphs-
24. Sanskrit-
14. Roman Empire
15. Julius Caesar
16. Octavian/Augustus
27. Buddhism
28. Daoism 8.
Torah-
9.
10.
Hammurabi’s Code
Hinduism-
25. Ten Commandments-
26. Caste system-
29. Jesus
30/ Pax Romana
Part 4: Review Map Questions: You must be able to identify the below geographic features on a world map.
1. North America 2. South America 3. Europe 4. Africa
31. Republic
32. Monarchy
33. Latin
34. Christianity
35. Judaism
36. Islam
37. Muslim
5. Asia
9. Pacific Ocean
6. Australia 7. Antarctica
10. Indian Ocean 11. Arctic Ocean
8. Atlantic Ocean
12. Southern Ocean
13. Gulf of Mexico 14. Caribbean Sea 15. Rocky Mountains 16. Andes Mountains
17. Appalachian Mountains
20. Tigris River
24. Egypt
28. Arabian Sea
25. Nile River
29. Indus River
18. Amazon River
21. Euphrates River 22. Persian Gulf
26. Red Sea
19. Mississippi River
23. Mesopotamia
27. Mediterranean Sea
30. Ganges River 31. Bay of Bengal
35. Himalayan Mountains 36. India 37. China
38. South China Sea 39. East China Sea 40. Philippine Sea 41. Yellow Sea
42. Sea of Japan 43. Yellow River 44. Yangtze river 45. Israel
46. Greece 47. Aegean Sea 48. Alps 49. Italy/Italian Peninsula 50. Spain/Iberian Peninsula
51. France/Gaul 52. Britain/England 53. Pyrenees Mountains 54. English Channel
Part 5: Absolute Location: You must be able to accurately plot a place on the Earth’s surfaces using latitude and longitude
Part 6: Review Essential Questions:
1.
What geographic features are beneficial to the formation of a civilization?
2.
How was irrigation important to ancient human civilizations?

3.
Why is agriculture important to civilizations?
4.
How did division of labor aid help society to advance at a more rapid speed?
5.
Why did the ancient peoples value religion within their societies?
6.
What role does social hierarchy play in government and society?
7.
How do inventions & innovations help society to become advanced and powerful? What are some of these inventions and innovations?
8.
How do civilizations rise and fall?
9.
How does the movement of: people goods and ideas impact society?
10.
How does trade impact a nation’s economy and society?
11.
How are Judaism, Christianity and Islam similar? Different?