EUROPEAN HISTORY

1. The Renaissance

Form 3
1
 Unit 1.1 - Introduction to the Renaissance

1. Charlemagne 2. Chartres Cathedral 3. Medieval stained glass window 4. F. Biondo 5. G. Vasari

Definition and origin of the term ‘Renaissance’

1. The Renaissance began in Italy during the 14th century during the lifetime of Dante and Giotto and ended
in the late 16th century when Shakespeare and Galileo Galilei were still living. The word ‘Renaissance’ was
first used by the French historian Jules Michelet in a book entitled The Civilzation of the Renaissance in
Italy (1860). Michelet invented the word ‘Renaissance’, but scholars and artists who lived in the 15th and 16th
centuries felt that they were living in a time of great cultural change.
 The Italian painter Giorgio Vasari (1511-74) wrote in 1550 that the arts were moving towards
perfection as they had been during the ancient civilizations of Greece and Rome.
 The humanist scholar Marsilio Ficino (1433-99) spoke of a new golden age in Florence that had
‘restored to life the arts, which were almost extinct.’
2. The word ‘Renaissance’ means ‘rebirth’ i.e. the rebirth of classical civilization of Greece and Rome
after a long period of decline during the Middle Ages.
Other previous ‘renaissances’ in the Middle Ages
3. A Renaissance scholar, Flavio Biondo (1392-1463), used for the first time the term medium aevum or
‘middle ages’ to describe the period between the fall of the Roman Empire and the Renaissance (i.e. from 400
to 1300 A.D.). But historians now agree that classical culture did not die out completely in Europe during the
Middle Ages. There were in fact two attempts to revive it in the centuries before the Renaissance proper.
These were:
 The Carolingian Renaissance when Charlemagne (King of the Franks) was crowned Holy Roman
Emperor in 800 A.D. He tried to revive ancient Roman architecture and literature. He rebuilt the royal palace
at Aachen in ancient Roman style, ordered the copying of classical texts and gathered together a group of
scholars of Roman literature who invented the miniscule alphabet (small letters) printers still use today.
 The Twelfth Century Renaissance was characterized by the setting up of libraries in monasteries that were
to develop into the first European universities (Bologna, Pauda, Paris and Oxford). The great monuments of
the Middle Ages, (Gothic Cathedrals and stained glass) originated in France during this time.
Conclusion
1. The Italian Renaissance, therefore, was not a unique event in European history. There had been
previous smaller ‘renaissances’, which prepared the way for the great achievements of the 15th and 16th
centuries. But the Italian Renaissance was more brilliant because its achievements:
 It spread to most of Western Europe.
 It was long-lasting because it lasted for nearly 300 years (from the 1300 to 1600).
 It brought the end of the Middle Ages.
 It started the Modern Age in the history of Europe.

2
 Unit 1.1 - Introduction to the Renaissance

1. Carolingian manuscript 2. Carolingian miniscule script 3. Roman Italic script of the Renaissance

1. (a) Which aspect of the Carolingian renaissance are shown in sources 1 and 2?
__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

(b) Why the Roman Italic script became popular at the time of the Renaissance?
__________________________________________________________________________ (1)

2. The word Renaissance means: _______________________________________________ (1)

3. The Renaissance started in (Spain, France, Italy, Germany) in the (13, 14, 15, 16) th century (2)

4. The word renaissance was used for the first time in the (17, 18, 19, 20) th century by the French
historian __________________________________________________________________ (2)

5. How did people living at the time of the Renaissance feel about their times?
________________________________________________________________ (2)

6. Italian Renaissance artists started copying the works of ancient _________ and _________ (2)

7. Mention one characteristic attributed to these two medieval ‘renaissances’.

(a) the Carolingian renaissance: _____________________________________________ (1)
(b) the twelfth century renaissance: _____________________________________________ (2)

8. Who invented the term ‘middle ages’ and for which period in history was it used?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________ (2)

9. What did the Italian Renaissance have in particular that made it different from the medieval
renaissances? Give two examples.
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________ (2)

10. Underline four areas of human activity that were not affected by the Italian Renaissance.
(painting, science, transport, literature, learning, fishing, architecture, tourism, farming) (2)
(Total Marks 20)
3
 Unit 1.2 - The Italian Origins of the Renaissance

1. An Italian 14th century town. 2. Florence main square. 3. St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

1. Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy?

In the 14th century Northern Italy differed from the rest of Europe in three important ways:
 Many Greek and Roman ruins still dominated the Italian landscape. These ruins showed that Italy had
been the centre of a great classical civilization. Italian artists started using Roman remains to make bronze
reliefs and statues.
 The city of Florence and Northern Italy were the wealthiest regions in Europe. The wealth of the
Florentine people was based on cloth-making, banking and trade in luxuries. Florence’s leading
family, the Medici, were bankers to the popes and great patrons of arts.
 Northern Italy was divided into city-states like ancient Greece. Italians living of 14th and 15th
centuries believed that living in a city-state like theirs was the most civilized form of living.
2. What were the main characteristics of the early Italian Renaissance?
 Ancient Greek and Roman art. The artists of the Renaissance admired the art of classical times and
were of the opinion that medieval art was dull and primitive.
 Realistic painting. Medieval art was painted flat (two-dimensional). Giotto was the first painter to break
away with this style. He painted realistic pictures by using the illusion of depth by contrasting light and
shade (three-dimentional or 3D)..
 Religious art. Italian Renaissance art, like the medieval, was mostly religious. Painters used stories from the
Bible and the life of the Saints. Saints and Madonnas were painted as beautiful young men and women.
 Landscape painting. At first landscapes were used as symbols of hell (rocks and mountains) and
paradise (gardens). As artists learned more about colour, light, shadow and perspective, landscape
paintings became more popular among artists.
 Nude figures. Michelangelo started painting nude figures when he painted the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel in the Vatican.
 Portrait painting became very popular with the Popes, Kings, princes and wealthy families. They
employing famous Renaissance painters to paint their portrait to be remembered after their death.
Leonardo da Vinci once remarked: ‘Paint the face in such a way that it will be easy to understand what is
going on in the mind.’
 Sculpture. Many sculptors, like painters, studied human anatomy, made marble and bronze statues of
people from the Bible or classical literature. Some of the famous Renaissance marble statues are David,
Moses and the Pietà (by Michelangelo).
 Architecture broke with medieval Gothic and adopted classical forms and decoration: domes,
columns, rounded arches and symmetry. They designed churches, palaces, private homes and country
villas to the rich and powerful. Filippo Brunelleschi was the first Renaissance architect in Florence.
 Rome Florence was the centre of Renaissance art and architecture in the 15th century. But by 1500 its
place was taken over by Rome. The Renaissance Popes made Rome a magnificent Renaissance city
by employing artists and architects to rebuild Rome similar to classical Roman times.
4

Unit 1.2 - The Italian Origins of the Renaissance

1. A 15th century view of 2. Madonna and Child 3. Arena Chapel in Florence 4. The Vatican in Rome
the city of Florence by Raffaello by Brunelleschi

1. The Renaissance started in Northern Italy because ___________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________ (2)

2. In the 15th century Florence was ruled by the ________________ family who were great patrons
of the __________________. (2)

3. Explain the main difference between Medieval and Renaissance paintings.

____________________________________________________________________________ (2)

4. Mention and explain briefly in your own words three advantages why the Renaissance started in
Italy in the 14th century.
(a) _________________________________________________________________________
(b) _________________________________________________________________________
(c) _________________________________________________________________________ (3)

5. What did the Renaissance Popes do to Rome? _____________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________ (1)

6. Match these characteristics of the Italian Renaissance with the above sources numbered 1 to 4.
(a) Realism in religious art: ____________________________________________________

(b) One great masterpiece in Renaissance architecture: _____________________________

(c) The cradle (origins) of the Italian Renaissance: __________________________________
(d) The use of perspective and harmony in architecture: ______________________________ (4)

7. Name three famous Italian Renaissance artists and mention one masterpiece of each.
________________________ _______________________________________________

________________________ _______________________________________________
________________________ _______________________________________________ (6)
(Total Marks 20)
5
 Unit 1.3 - Renaissance Humanism and Humanists

1. Leonardo da Vinci 2. Copernicus 3. Andreas Vasarius 4. Turkish expansion (15th century)

1. How did humanist ideas start in Italy and then spread to Western Europe?
Humanism originated from studia humanitatis = the study of the classics. Humanists were the scholars who
spread humanist ideas. The first of the Renaissance humanists was Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch) (1304-74).
He studied classical Latin and was the first to name the period after the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 A.D. as the
‘dark ages.’ Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), the author of the Divina Commedia, wrote his works in vernacular
Italian instead of in Latin. He is considered the founder of the Italian language and literature.

With the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453, thousands of exiled Greeks went to Italy carrying with them
ancient Greek and Roman works of art and literature. During this period printing was also introduced into Italy (it
was invented in Germany around 1440 by Johann Guttenberg). Until then, ancient writings were copied by hand
(manuscripts = manu scriptum). Printed editions of the Greek and Roman classics quickly spread to Italy and
other parts of Western Europe. One result of the invention of printing was that books became faster to produce and
cheaper to buy. Thus more and more people could afford to buy and read books.

In Medieval Europe education had been limited mainly to the clergy. The humanists introduced new subjects in
universities, namely classical literature, mathematics, music, religion, science and athletics. All this was done to
copy the ancient Greeks. Many of the humanists were employed by rulers, popes, and men of wealth as
secretaries, government officials or teachers. These positions of influence helped them spread their ideas and
knowledge to other people. Humanists were also interested in the study of archaeology. In the 1450s the
Renaissance Popes forbid the stealing of stones and marbles from the classical monuments of Rome (e.g. from
the Coliseum).

2. Humanist scientists studied classical scientific texts, studied the human body by dissecting corpses
(anatomy) and made important scientific discoveries. Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543) is held to be the
greatest Renaissance scientist and the founder of modern science. Andreas Vesalius (1514-54), a
Flemish doctor, was the first to teach and practice anatomy at the University of Padua. His famous work,
On the Structure of the Human Body was published in 1543. It was illustrated with woodcuts of
anatomical drawings. Vesalius’ book became the standard text for medical and anatomical studies in
universities for many years.
3. Universal Man
Humanists believed in the ideal of the universal man that there was no limit to man’s ambitions and abilities.
Success or fame need not depend upon birth and social status as it had been in the Middle Ages when society
was based on the feudal system but upon a man’s abilities and intelligence. The Renaissance produced two
such men of genius: Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) (painter, architect, anatomist, scientist, inventor and
engineer), and Michelangelo (1475-1564) (painter, architect, military engineer and poet).

6
 6. Petrarch. 7. Dante 8. Erasmus 9. St Thomas More

10. Vesalius during one of his lectures on the human body.

4. The Christian humanists
The Christian humanists sought to purify the Christian doctrine from errors added through the centuries
by theologians who had not read the original texts of early Christianity since these had been written in
classical Greek and Latin. In this way they hoped to help the Catholic Church reform itself. But in their
effort to reform the Church, the humanists were to bring about a religious revolution known as the
Protestant Reformation. The most prominent Christian humanists were:

St Thomas More (1478-1535), an English humanist lawyer, diplomat, politician and philosopher. He
refused to acknowledge Henry VIII as supreme head of the English Church. For this reason he was
accused of treason and beheaded.

Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536), a Flemish

scholar had followers everywhere in Europe. His
books were the first best sellers in the history of
printing. Erasmus’ views and influence made him
a leader in the movement for the reform of the
Catholic Church. For a time he agreed with the
ideas of Martin Luther. But he wanted to reform
the Church from within, not break away and start
a new church as Luther did. When Europe finally
split between Catholics and Protestants, Erasmus
remained loyal to the Catholic Church.

6. A medieval university lecture 10. Map of the Italian states at the tim of the Renaissance
7
 Unit 1.3 - Renaissance Humanism and Science

A 15th century engraving of a printing press

1. The term Humanism means ___________________________________________________ (1)

2. Humanist scholars were people of great influence because ___________________________

___________________________________________________________________________ (2)

3. Greek scholars reached Western Europe after 1453 when ___________________________

___________________________________________________________________________ (2)

4. The renaissance Popes of the 15th century made an important contribution to classical archaeology
when they __________________________________________________________________ (2)

5. How did humanists change the practice of education in the 15th century?
____________________________________________________________________________ (2)

6. Explain the term universal man. __________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________ (2)

7. Give two examples of ‘universal man’. _____________________ _____________________ (2)

8. Explain briefly the contribution of these humanist scholars of the Renaissance:

(a) Copernicus: _____________________________________________________________
(b) Vesalius: _____________________________________________________________
(c) Dante: _____________________________________________________________
(d) Petrarch: _____________________________________________________________ (4)

9. (a) What was the aim of the Christian humanists?

___________________________________________________________________________ (1)
(b) Give the names of two Christian humanists.
______________________________________ _ _________________________________ (2)
(Total 20 marks)

8
 Unit 1.4 - The Renaissance Spreads outside Italy

1. Francis I of France 2. Leonardo da Vinci 3. Albrecht Durer 4. Henry VIII of England

5. Henry VIII’ Hamptom Court. 6. The Palace of Chambord, built by Francis I.

How did the Renaissance spread to Western Europe?

1. The Renaissance in France
15th century Italians considered the culture of Europeans north of the Alps as backward. When the French
King Charles VIII invaded Italy in 1494, they regarded this attack as a new barbarian invasion. One
important result of this invasion was that is helped to spread Italian Renaissance to other parts of Western
Europe. The Kings of France, England and Spain were so impressed by Italian art and architecture that they
employed Italian artists and humanist scholars at their courts. One such example was when King Francis I
(1515-47) of France invited Leonardo da Vinci to go and work in France. The King gave him 7,000 gold
florins and a palace of his own choosing! Italian humanists were employed by kings and princes as secretaries
and diplomats while many others taught Greek and Latin in universities across Europe.
2. The Renaissance in England
In England the Renaissance entered with King Henry VIII (1509-1547) who styled himself as a Renaissance
prince. His Chief Minister Cardinal Wolsey built Cambridge University. The King built Hampton Court
as a Renaissance palace. St Thomas Moore became Henry’s closest adviser. The Renaissance continued to
flourish under Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603), the time when Shakespeare was writing his plays. In Spain
the Renaissance entered at the time of Emperor Charles V, who as Holy Roman Emperor was influenced by
what was taking place in Northern Europe. In Scandinavia the ideas of the Renaissance spread as a result of
the Reformation.
2. The Renaissance in Northern Europe
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) was the main artist of the German Renaissance. He made woodcuts and
copper engravings. Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543) was the great portrait painter of all time.
The invention of printing in Germany helped to spread Renaissance and humanist ideas further in
Western Europe. By 1500 thousands of books had already been printed all over Europe. Italian
printers started using the Roman and italic fonts we still use today.
Flanders (in Belgium) was a land of cities with a rich middle class. Hubert van Eyck (c.1370-1426)
and Jan van Eyck (c.1390-1440) brought Renaissance art to Flanders. The van Eyck brothers used oil
in their paintings instead of tempera (colours mixed with egg yolk and water). This technique,
together with frescos became very popular with the Italian painters of the Renaissance.

9
 Unit 1.4 - The Renaissance Spreads Outside Italy

1. The first country to experience the Renaissance after Italy was __________________________ (1)

2. How did the Renaissance enter this country?

_____________________________________________________________________________ (1)

3. How did Renaissance art enter:

(a) Germany? ________________________________________________________________ (1)

(b) England? _______________________________________________________________ (1)

(c) Flanders? _______________________________________________________________ (1)

(d) Spain? _______________________________________________________________ (1)

4. (a) Printing was invented in ______________ by a printer named _______________________ (1)

(b) One result of this invention was ________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________ (1)

5. (a) Who were these personalities of the Renaissance? (6)

(b) What part did they play in spreading the Renaissance in Western Europe? (6)

a Francis I

b Albert Dürer

c Jan van Dyck

d St Thomas More

e Erasmus

f Henry VIII

(Total 20 marks)

10
 Unit 1.5 -

Unit 1.7 - Written Source Question on the Renaissance

Read carefully the following three sources and then answer all the questions.

‘The world sailed round, the largest of Earth’s ‘Go to Rome and all over Christendom; in the
continents discovered, the compass houses of great prelates and great scholars
invented, the printing-press sowing they think only of poetry and the art of rhetoric.
knowledge, gunpowder revolutionizing the art Go and see, though; you will find them with
of war, ancient manuscripts rescued and the humanist books (libri d’umanita’) in their
restoration of scholarship, all witness to the hands, trying to find out about the cure of souls
triumph of our New Age.’ from Virgil and Horace and Cicero.’
Jean Fernel (1497-1558) physician, Girolamo Savonarola (1452-98): Twenty-third
mathematician and astronomer at the Court sermon, on psalm 73, in Volume I of M. Ferrara
of Henry II of France. Quoted in Marie Boas, 1952. Savonarola was a great critic of the so-
The Scientific Renaissance, London 1962. called ‘pagan humanists’ of his time.

SOURCE 1 SOURCE 2

‘I took on myself the task of re-reading books of all the philosophers that I could get hold of, to find out
if any ever held any opinion about the movements of the heavenly spheres other than the opinion
held by those who teach mathematics in the Schools. And first I found in Cicero that Nicetas thought
that the earth moved. Afterwards I found some others in Plutarch who were of the same opinion …
As a result, I too began to think about the possibility of the movement of the earth.’
Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543), Polish astronomer: The Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres, 1532.
SOURCE 3

1.1 Are the sources primary or secondary? State why? ____________________________

_______________________________________________________________________ (2)

1.2 The period of history that is being referred to in the three sources is the RENAISSANCE?
What was the Renaissance? _____________________________________________ (2)

1.3 What do the sources talk about? Underline the right word:
(a) Source 1 talks about (medicine, humanism, discovery of new lands)
(b) Source 2 talks about (inventions, religion, astronomy)
(c) Source 3 talks about (astronomy, philosophy, architecture) (3)
1.4 In Source 1 and 2 there is reference to one important invention of the Renaissance.
(a) Name this invention. _____________________________________________ (1)
(b) Who was the inventor? _____________________________________________ (1)
(c) Why was this invention so important?
_______________________________________________________________________ (2)

1.5 Source 2 mentions Rome, one of the important centres of Renaissance (music, literature,
sport, inventions, architecture, sculpture, painting). Underline three correct answers. (3)

1.6 Which famous Renaissance artist produced works of art in the Vatican Sistine Chapel?

11
 Choose one from: (Van Gogh, Michelangelo, Raffaello, Leonardo da Vinci) (1)
1.7 Mention another city in Italy besides Rome famous for the Renaissance? ___________ (1)

1.8 Give two reasons why the Renaissance began in Italy?

(a) Reason 1: _________________________________________________________ (1)
(b) Reason 2: _________________________________________________________ (1)

1.9.1 Look at Source 3. What new theory did Copernicus arrive at regarding the movements of
the earth and the sun? Underline the right answer:
(a) that the sun moved round the earth
(b) that the earth moved round the sun
(c) that the cow jumped over the moon (1)

1.9.2 Because of this theory Copernicus came into trouble with (the Inquisition, the King, the
Parliament, the Emperor) (1)

In-Set Working Group, September 2009 (Total Marks 20)

12
 Unit 1.8 - The Renaissance

Read carefully the following essay titles and answer any ONE in about 200 to 300 words.
Essays carry 20 marks each.

PAPER 2A
On the Renaissance
1. In the 15th and 16th centuries Europe is said to have had ‘an intellectual quickening’.
How was this quickening demonstrated in the field of art, science, literature and so on?
(SEC 1998)
2. Starting from the Italian states, the Renaissance was a new awakening which had a
great effect on Europe. Discuss. (SEC 2009)
3. ‘The Renaissance brought much progress in painting, sculpture, architecture, printing
and literature.’ Explain. (SEC 2011)

PAPER 2B
On the Renaissance
1. The European Renaissance is one of the outstanding movements in history. Write about:
(a) the way it can be defined (b) its art and artists (c) scientific developments (SEC 1997)
2. (a) What was the Renaissance? (2)
(b) Why did it start in Italy? (4)
(c) Account for the progress registered in various areas during this period. (6)
(d) Name two famous Renaissance painters.(2)
(e) What were the main results of the Renaissance movement? (6)
(SEC 2009)

3. (a) What does Renaissance mean? (3)

(b) What was the effect of the development of printing? (3)
(c) Why did the Renaissance start in Italy? (6)
(d) Name one significant Renaissance artist and discuss his works and significance. (8)
(SEC 2011)
4. (a) What do we mean by the word ‘Renaissance’? (6)
(b) Where did the Renaissance begin? (2)
(c) Say why it began in that country? (12) (Annual Paper 2008)

13