Cosimo De Medici Essay

Lorenzo de’Medici- Grandson of Cosimo de’ Medici. Took over the city of Florence when it was the cultural center.
Renaissance- Means rebirth, new view of human beings. Humanism was embodied during this time. Leonardo da Vinci was a humanist. Was about literature, culture, art, and religion.
City-state- Area that has control over the land economically and politically. Like, the units of the Sumerian civilization.
Mercenary- Soldiers who fought for wealth. Mercenaries fought in Renaissance.
Republic- An area ran by a group of people, not by one king/ruler. Venice was a republic in the Renaissance.
Cosimo de’ Medici- Medici family was very wealthy and ran the government. They were in control of Florence.
Savonarola- From the Dominican Republic, preacher, weakened the power of Medici. Regulation of gambling,

horseracing, swearing and much more. Was sentenced to death.
Machiavelli- Author of The Prince, his book explained on how to gain political power, and keep it.

Believed humans were motivated by self interest and that in order to keep political power, you cannot be “nice”, you must be strict.
Castiglione- Author of “The Courtier”, believed in classical education, nobles should be well- rounded, the noble must be talented, graceful, and full of character. The job of noble should advise the rulers.
Burghers- A group of people in the urban society that were below patricians, and above the workers. They were shopkeepers, artisans, guild masters, and guide members.
Humanism- Emphasized the individual and making the individual the most important. Studied humanities like, grammar, rhetoric, history and poetry. Leonardo da Vinci was a humanist.
Petrarch- Father of Italian Renaissance humanism. Emphasized on using Latin. He was a humanist.
Vernacular- Everyday speech in a region. Vernacular writing was popular, like troubadour poetry and heroic epic. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer was a famous vernacular book.
Dante- Wrote Divine Comedy, a long poem focused on the soul’s journey to attain paradise, or go to

heaven.
Christine de Pizan- Wrote The Book of the City of Ladies, wrote about how women made great achievements. She wrote mostly in French.
Liberal studies- Liberal arts lets individuals meet full potential. Aim was to create well-rounded citizens, not scholars.
Gutenberg- German printer in the mid 15th century. Knowledge was spread by printing and was a new technology in European life.
Fresco- Painting that is done with water based paints on wet plaster. Masaccio is a fresco, done by Tommaso di Giovanni.
Masaccio- He created frescos and they were the first masterpieces in Early Renaissance. Created illusion of three dimensions.
Brunelleschi- Inspired buildings of Rome. Created a way to build a large exterior dome. Releastic imagery was created.
Leonardo da Vinci- “Renaissance Man”, had many talents. He was an artist, scientist, inventor, and visionary. Painted the “Mona Lisa”.
Raphael Sanzio- Painter/Artist and architect. Painted “The School of Athens” and “Sistine Madonna”.
Michelangelo Buonarroti- Painter, sculptor, architect, painted Sistine Chapel Ceiling
Flanders- Important school of art in the 1400’s, in Flanders
Jan van Eyck- Painter from Flanders, one of the first to perfect and use the technique of oil
Albrecht Durer- German artist, Examined the human form and its beauty