Chapter 4: The Exchange
of Ideas
1. Why was Galileo brought before
a jury? What was his “crime?”
He was charged with heresy (crimes
against the church).
 He was charged with this crime because
he stated that the Sun was at the center of
the universe, instead of the Earth (which
the Church believed).
 He eventually changed his statement, and
was sentenced to house arrest for the rest
of his life.

How did attitudes toward science
change during the Renaissance?
People started to learn things through
experiments and observation, instead of
just reading about it.
 People also read more and different kinds
of texts.
 The new way of learning was called the
“Scientific Method”

What did people do to learn before
and at the early beginning of the
Renaissance?
People would read books by classical
authors from ancient civilizations.
 People weren’t really encouraged to ask
questions or do to experiments.

Describe the Scientific Method:
1. Identify the problem or question
 2. Gather information on the problem.
 3. Form a hypothesis or an educated
guess.
 4. Experiment to test the hypothesis.
 5. Record and analyze data.
 6. State a conclusion.
 7.Repeat the steps!

When it came to Astronomy, what
was the major belief before the
Renaissance when it came to the
sun?

People believed that the sun rotated
around the Earth, and that God placed the
Earth at the centre of the universe.
Name Three Significant
Astronomers and their discoveries.
1. Copernicus—Discovered that Earth is a
planet that moves around the Sun.
 2. Galileo—Confirmed Copernicus’s idea
of a Sun-centered universe. He saw
evidence through use of a telescope he
developed.
 Kepler—Concluded that planets travelled
in an elliptical orbit, not a perfect circle as
Copernicus believed.

During the Renaissance, which
people played an important role in
treating sick people?
Midwives and others with knowledge of
traditional and herbal remedies played an
important role.
 Doctors and Scientists also were
important, and made many medical
discoveries that helped people.

What medical procedure was made
legal for the purpose of studying
anatomy?
The process of dissection was made legal
in many Italian cities, for the purpose of
study.
 Professors dissected human bodies with
students watching, and used their findings
to make detailed illustrations of human
bodies.
 This was important to learn how the
human body worked, and how to heal it.

What advances in Mathematics
were made during the
Renaissance?
Mathematics were viewed as a basic tool
for understanding the universe.
 Geometry and algebra were more
commonly used.
 Two important mathematicians: alKhwarizmi (algebra) and Euclid (geometry)
both came up with new ideas and theories
in math.

What is Perspective? How was it
used for architecture?
 Perspective
is a technique of
representing objects in paintings as
they appear to the human eye.
 Brunelleschi used perspective
drawings to show how the buildings
he was planning would look when
they were finished.
What other group started to use
mathematics in their work?
 Artists
and sculptors used
mathematics in their works to make
them look more accurate. Also
engineers, architects, and musicians.
Who was Isabella D’Este?
 She
was married to the Duke of
Mantua.
 She was an upper class person, and
received a classical education as a
girl. Her brilliant mind was admired.
 She was “the first lady of the world,”
and ruled well by keeping in touch
with her husband, and by continuing
her learning.
How did Niccolo Machiavelli come
up with his ideas?
He wrote a book called The Prince.
 He observed people and governments,
which led him to new ways of thinking
about leadership and power.
 His book became one of the most
controversial books about politics that has
ever been written.

What did Machiavelli believe was
the only thing that mattered?
He believed that the only thing that
mattered was the effective running of the
state, and that the end was what counts.
 A leader could do anything as long as the
state was doing well.
 The ideas of right and wrong were not
important.
 He did not believe that religion should be
part of government.

What is allegory? How IS allegory
used in Renaissance art?
A work in which a character or events are
meant to be understood as representing
other things and symbolically expressing a
deeper moral, spiritual, or political
meaning.
 The use of symbols or symbolism.
 This was used in Renaissance art often,
especially as many people could not read,
but could understand the symbols.

What three actions did leaders of
the Catholic Church do that were
not appropriate?
 Some
church leaders spent the
Church’s money on themselves.
 They took advantage of their authority
to gain power and money for
themselves, and for their families.
 Some bishops and cardinals “bought”
their titles.
Who was Girolamo Savonarola?
What did he do to fight church
corruption?
He was a monk who belonged to the
Dominican Order (Italy).
 He dedicated his life to fighting corruption
in the church.
 He preached sermons that accused
important church figures of corruption.
 Bonfire of the vanities—people
encouraged to burn books, wigs, make-up,
fancy clothing, and art.

What happened to Savonarola?
 He
was excommunicated by the pope
(not allowed to practice religion).
 In 1498, he was tried for heresy,
found guilty, and executed.
Who was Martin Luther? What did
he do to fight corruption in the
church?
He was a German monk.
 He started studying the bible for himself
and decided that the bible should be
important for religion, not the church.
 He didn’t like the church selling
indulgences, which were certificates that
people bought to reduce their punishment
for sins after death.

What were the Ninety-Five Theses
and how did he make them public?
 They
were his criticisms of the
church’s selling of indulgences.
 He nailed these on a church door,
then had them published.
What happened to Martin Luther?
 He
was excommunicated, declared
an outlaw who could be killed, and
went into hiding.
 The pope issued a “bull” (order) that
pretty much said that Luther’s works
were banned.
What was the Protestant
Reformation? Whose ideas
triggered this event?
It was a revolution that changed how the
church was run.
 A new church was started in Northern
Europe—the Lutheran church.
 Luther’s ideas triggered this, and his
followers were called Protestants because
they “protested” the church’s corrupt
policies.

What did the Church do as a
“counter reformation”
The Catholic Church lost many of its
members due to the Protestant
Reformation.
 There were meetings called by the Pope
to clean things up. (The Council of
Trent).
 As a result, corruption was removed and
priests were given better education.

Where did thinkers and scholars
start to gather to share ideas?

They gathered at universities all over
Europe to share their ideas with each
other and with students.
How did famous Renaissance scientists,
artists, and thinkers spread their ideas
around Europe? What did they do?
 These people were viewed as
“celebrities” at this time.
 They were in demand in courts and
universities everywhere, so they
travelled a lot to share their ideas and
knowledge.
 They visited universities and taught
classes, and went to royal courts and
shared knowledge.
What new technology created new way to
spread ideas and knowledge?
The printing press was a revolutionary
new technology that helped to spread
ideas and knowledge.
 It allowed more books to be created
and also allowed books to be written in
the vernacular (common) language.

Who invented this technology? Why
was it a better way than the old way of
doing things?
Johannes Gutenberg invented the
printing press in 1450 (he was from
Germany).
 The printing press allowed books to be
produced quickly and cheaply, which
made them much more available to
people.

Describe below three ways that
books helped with the spread of
knowledge and ideas.
They became cheaper and more
accessible with the printing press,
leading more people to read and write.
 More books, including the Bible, were
printed in the vernacular (the language
that ordinary people spoke).
 Thinkers like Erasmus made money
from the books they wrote. Allowing
them to travel and spread more ideas.

How did the increase of printed books
affect rates of literacy in Europe?
As a result of the increase of books and
their being printed in the vernacular
languages of people, literacy rates went
up a lot.
 More and more people were reading
books on a regular basis.

Who was Michel de Montaigne? What
type of writing did he create that is still
used today?
He was a Renaissance thinker and
French writer. He wrote a book called
Les Essais (Essays), in which he
invented a new way to write: the essay.
 In his writings, he explored many ideas,
including how to educate children.
 We still use this form of writing in
school today.

What role do books have in our
lives today?
Books and the printed word have a very
big role in our lives today.
 We read textbooks, newspapers,
magazines, stories, signs and even
things like e-mail and text messaging.
 We are required to read on a frequent
basis.

What other technology has helped to
spread ideas in our modern-day
society?
Our society uses books in order to
record and disseminate (spread)
information.
 However, newer technologies such as
the internet have started to be widely
used as a means to record, use, and
spread ideas and information.
