What does the word Renaissance mean?
Renaissance is a French word that means ‘rebirth’
When did the Renaissance occur?
The Renaissance occurred from about 1350 to 1600 CE in Europe
What is a worldview?
A worldview is a set of beliefs and values that shapes how a person or group operates and sees the world
List major factors that shape a society’s worldview
Geography, ideas and knowledge, culture, political and economic systems, social systems, religion, and contact with other groups
What does CE stand for?
Common Era, a way of numbering years from the birth of Jesus Christ
Where did the Renaissance originate?
The cities of the Italian Peninsula in southern Europe
What is the Byzantine Empire?
The eastern part of the Roman Empire which existed from the 4th to 5th centuries
What was the name of the major trade network that connected Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa?
The Silk Road
Which empires in Asia and northern Africa most impacted Europe’s transition to the Renaissance?
Islamic Empires
What is an astrolabe?
An instrument used to measure the locations of stars and planets as an aid to navigation
Which religions consider Jerusalem and the Holy Land sacred?
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
What were the Crusades?
Medieval Christian military expeditions to recover the Holy Land from Muslims
During the Middle Ages, what was the central point of European people’s beliefs?
Religion—specifically, the idea that God was the centre of human existence
Who had a major influence on European art and architecture during the Middle Ages?
The Roman Catholic Church
How did Europeans’ worldview begin to change after the Crusades?
Contact with the Islamic civilization brought new ideas, knowledge, foods, spices, and goods, leading to new attitudes and ways of thinking
What factors led to the beginning of the Renaissance?
Contact with other cultures, exchange of ideas, increased trade and wealth, and rediscovery of classical knowledge
How did the Islamic civilization’s geographic location affect its significance?
Located at the crossroads of the Silk Road, it became a centre for trade, wealth, and learning
What reason did wealthy Europeans have for donating to the Church in the Middle Ages?
They hoped that God would reward them with heaven
How are historical time periods labeled in European history?
The period before the Renaissance is the Middle Ages (4th-14th centuries); the Renaissance is 1350-1600
What is a pilgrim?
A person who journeys to a sacred place for religious purposes
What happened to the Roman Empire in the 4th century?
It was divided into Western (Roman) and Eastern (Byzantine) Empires to prevent civil war
Who was Leonardo Pisano Fibonacci?
An Italian mathematician who introduced the Hindu-Arabic numeral system and Fibonacci sequence to Europe
Why was Fibonacci influential during the Middle Ages?
He brought mathematical ideas from the Islamic world to Europe and explained how Arabic numerals simplified calculations for merchants
What is the feudal system?
A hierarchical political, economic, and social system of landholding in medieval Europe with rigid class structures
