The Renaissance Study
Guide
By: Willy Ramos
1) Where Did the
“Renaissance” begin?
1a) In Italy—late 1400’s
lasted until the 1600’s
2) What does the word
“Renaissance” mean?
2a) “Renaissance” means
rebirth in French
3) What is “Humanism”?
3a) “Humanism” is the
intellectual study on how to
live a good life.
4) Who were the two most
important Humanists?
4a) The two most important
Humanists were
Desiderius Erasmus and
Thomas More.
5) What would a
“Renaissance person” be
interested in?
5a) A “Renaissance person”
would be interested in
science, literature, history,
and the arts
6) The scholars of the
“Renaissance” time period
rediscovered ______?
6a) Scholars rediscovered
writings of ancient Greece
and Rome
7) What did “Humanists” try
to combine?
7a) Humanists tried to
combine Latin and Greek
literature with Christianity
8) Why is there more time for
higher learning during the
“Renaissance” than in the
“Middle Ages”?
8a) Rising merchants class
began earning more money
which lead to more leisure
time.
9) Who invented the printing
press?
9a) Johannes Gutenburg
10) What was a major impact
of the printing press?
10a) Allowed the common
people to learn how to read.
11) Who was Erasmus and
what is his most famous
work?
11a) Dutch monk famous for
“In Praise of Folly”
12) Who was Thomas More?
12a) Lawyer who wrote
Utopia, and could not
acknowledge King Henry as
the head of the Church of
England
13) What is the
“Reformation”?
13a) Movement by the
people that began to reject
of the authority of the pope
14) Who was Martin Luther
and where is he from?
14a) Founded a new kind of
denomination of Christianity
and originated from
Germany.
15) Describe how Henry VIII
broke with the church.
15a) Wanted to divorce his
wife and announced himself
Head of the Church of
England.
16) List Henry VIII’s wives
and what happened to
each.
16a)
Catherine of Aragon: Divorced
Ann Boleyn: Beheaded
Jane Seymour: Died
Anne of Cleves: Divorced
Catherine Howard: Beheaded
Catherine Parr: Died
17) Who created the royal
navy?
17a) Henry VIII
18) What did Thomas more
do about Henry VIII when
the king placed him self at
the head of the English
Church?
18a) Wouldn’t stand to see
him as head of the Church
of England, and couldn’t
legally recognize him as
head either.
19) Which group thought that
the English church was not
reformed enough?
19a) Puritans, Baptists,
Presbyterians, Dissenters
and Nonconformists.
qq20) List the Kings and
Queens of the Renaissance
in Order.
20a)
Henry VII
Henry VIII
Edward VI,
Mary Tudor,
Elizabeth
James I of Scotland
21) Who was a self
proclaimed “Renaissance
Man”?
21a) Henry VIII
22) Why was he called this?
22a) Studied the arts, played
various instruments and
was a good athlete
23) Who was called “Bloody
Mary” and how did she get
this name?
23a) Mary Tudor, called by
her nickname because she
tried to convert England
back to Catholicism by
burning at the stake 300
dissenters
24) What happened to
Edward?
24a) died of a fever at age 9
25) Why was Elizabeth called
the “Virgin Queen”?
25a) Elizabeth resisted
marriage all her life
26) Why did Elizabeth never
marry?
26a) Elizabeth's power was
her independence from a
man, she believed if she
married her power would be
given to him.
27) What were her
accomplishments?
27a) Restored law and order
by reestablishing the
Church of England, rejected
the Popes authority and
defeated the Spanish
Armada.
28) Who was Mary Stuart
and what happened to her
and why?
28a) Cousin of Elizabeth,
exiled and eventually
beheaded because she
plotted to kill Elizabeth.
29) Describe what happened
with that Spanish Armada?
What did this do for England
and the arts?
29a) The Spanish Armada was
defeated by the English
because there were storms in
the Irish sea during their battle,
the defeat caused England to
be the center of power leading
to a time of peace and
tranquility.
30) Who is John Milton and
what did he write?
30a) He wrote “Paradise Lost”
31) Who became King after
Elizabeth?
31a) James I
32) Who was Edmund
Spenser and what was his
most famous work?
32a) Graduate from
Cambridge University and
wrote “The Faerie Queen”
33) Who was Christopher
Marlowe and why is he
important?
33a) Translated love poems
and wrote “Doctor Faustus
34) Who wrote “History of the
World”?
34a) Sir Walter Raleigh
35) Who is John Donne and
what is he famous for?
35a) Had a relationship with
Anne Donne, no relation,
his most famous poem was
written about his
relationship with Anne.
36) What were Miracle and
Mystery plays?
36a) Involved plays depicting
scenes from the Bible.
37) What was the name of
Shakespeare’s Theatre?
37a) The Globe Theatre
38) Describe this Theatre.
38a) A wood framed theatre
in a oval to circular shape
that was 3 stories high.
39) Describe the actors of
this time.
39a) Usually were all men.
40) When was Shakespeare
born and when did he die?
40a) Born in April 1564
Died on April 23 1616
Lived 52 years
41) How many plays did
Shakespeare write?
41a) He wrote more than 36
plays
42) How many poems did
Shakespeare write?
42a) He wrote 150 poems.
43) Where was Shakespeare
Born?
43a) Born in Stratford-onAvon
44) Describe Shakespeare's
wife and kids.
44a) Married Anne Hathaway
(26), and had three children
Susanna, Judith, and
Hamnet.
45) Name three of his
Tragedies.
45a) Hamlet, Romeo and
Juliet, Macbeth, and King
Lear.
46) Name three of his
histories.
46a) Richard II, Henry IV, and
Henry V.
47) Name three of his
comedies.
47a) Midsummer Night’s
Dream, Much Ado About
Nothing, and As You Like It.
48) Who was Queen when
Shakespeare Started writing
plays?
48a) Queen Elizabeth
49) What were the names of
his acting companies?
49a) Lord Chamberlain’s
Men, and The King’s Men.
50) What postponed some of
Shakespeare’s plays?
50a) The Bubonic Plague
51) Why is Shakespeare
considered such a great
writer?
51a) He had a vivid
imagination
52) What happened to the
Globe during one of his
performances?
52a) Burned Down
53) How did the actors affect
the writing of plays?
53a) Actors had to have
multiple roles, and songs
had to be written to
accommodate the actors.
54) How was Shakespeare’s
work finally put into print?
54a) Illegally without his
consent, rather than legally.