The Renaissance and Early Modern European History - Introductory

Become a Renaissance man — or woman — by studying this list of terms related to early modern history. Learn about the rise of humanism, developments in the arts and sciences, religion and the Reformation, the plague, and much more. You'll also review key figures in the Renaissance, including Elizabeth I, Galileo, Shakespeare, and Michelangelo.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. Anglican Church
    the national church of England
  2. basilica
    an early Christian church designed like a Roman basilica
  3. Black Death
    the epidemic form of bubonic plague experienced during the Middle Ages when it killed nearly half the people of western Europe
  4. city-state
    an independent nation comprised of a single town
  5. classical
    characteristic of the ancient Greek and Roman cultures
  6. colony
    a geographical area controlled by a distant country
  7. comedy
    light and humorous drama with a happy ending
  8. conquistador
    a 16th-century Spanish conqueror of Peru and Mexico
  9. courtier
    an attendant for a monarch
  10. drama
    a work intended for performance by actors on a stage
  11. Elizabeth I
    Queen of England from 1558 to 1603
  12. English Civil War
    civil war in England between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists under Charles I; 1644-1648
  13. engraving
    a block or plate or other hard surface that has been engraved
  14. exploration
    travel for the purpose of discovery
  15. fresco
    a mural done with watercolors on wet plaster
  16. Galileo Galilei
    Italian astronomer and mathematician who was the first to use a telescope to study the stars; demonstrated that different weights descend at the same rate; perfected the refracting telescope that enabled him to make many discoveries (1564-1642)
  17. Henry VIII
    son of Henry VII and King of England from 1509 to 1547
  18. humanism
    Renaissance movement focused on classical studies
  19. humanities
    studies intended to provide general knowledge and skills
  20. Leonardo da Vinci
    Italian painter and sculptor and engineer and scientist and architect; the most versatile genius of the Italian Renaissance (1452-1519)
  21. manuscript
    handwritten book or document
  22. Martin Luther
    German theologian who led the Reformation
  23. merchant
    a businessperson engaged in retail trade
  24. Michelangelo
    Florentine sculptor and painter and architect
  25. monarchy
    autocracy governed by a ruler who usually inherits authority
  26. Nicolaus Copernicus
    Polish astronomer who produced a workable model of the solar system with the sun in the center (1473-1543)
  27. pardon
    a warrant granting release from punishment for an offense
  28. patron
    someone who supports or champions something
  29. perspective
    appearance as determined by distance from the viewer
  30. plague
    a serious infection of rodents transmitted to humans
  31. printing press
    a machine used for printing
  32. Protestantism
    the theological system of any of the churches of western Christendom that separated from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation
  33. Reformation
    a religious movement of the 16th century that began as an attempt to reform the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the creation of Protestant churches
  34. Renaissance
    period of European history at the close of the Middle Ages
  35. rhetoric
    study of the technique for using language effectively
  36. scholar
    a learned person
  37. secular
    not concerned with or devoted to religion
  38. Shakespeare
    English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
  39. sonnet
    a verse form of 14 lines with a fixed rhyme scheme
  40. telescope
    a magnifier of images of distant objects
  41. theater
    a building where performances can be presented
  42. tragedy
    drama exciting terror or pity
  43. vernacular
    the everyday speech of the people
Created on Thu Feb 09 11:53:18 EST 2017 (updated Mon Apr 03 12:10:30 EDT 2017)

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