Chapter 12 Essay Questions

8/4/2019 Chapter 12 Essay Questions

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Cody Young

Period 5

9/14/07

Chapter 12 Essay Outlines

1. Discuss how Renaissance ideas are expressed in the Italian art of the period, referring tospecific works and artists.

Thesis Statement: Renaissance ideas were reflected in the Italian art of the period through the

portrayal of nature, realism, and the human being.

Body Paragraph 1:

Body Thesis: Realism and experimental techniques revolutionized painting in the 15th

century.

CD: Masaccios groundbreaking frescoes in the Brancacci Chapel demonstrated a more

realistic relationship between figures and landscape and visually represented the laws of

perspective.

CD: The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian by Antonio Pollaiuolo experimented in classical

motifs in an attempt to show the human body under stress, while investigating movement and

anatomical structure.

Body Paragraph 2:

Body Thesis: Humanism and classical philosophical principles were the ideals expressed

in Renaissance art.

CD: MichelangelosDavidproclaimed the beauty of the human body and the glory of

human beings.

CD: Raphaels School of Athens expresses the concepts of a world of balance, harmony,and orderthe underlying principles of the art of classical Greece and Rome.

Body Paragraph 3:


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Body Thesis: The realistic portrayal of the human form was the focus of 15th

century

northern Renaissance artists.

CD: Jan van Eycks precise attention to detail imitated nature through observation of

reality and portrayal of detail through his paintings.

CD: Albert DurersAdoration of the Magi tried to achieve a standard of ideal beauty by

examining the human form while also harmoniously integrating the details of northern artists.

Concluding Statement: The Renaissance brought new ideas and techniques to painting and art

that revolutionized the way that works of art were made. With new advancements in the laws of

perspective and realism, artists began to shift focus over to expressing the human form through

new design in architecture, styles of painting, and attention to detail. Classical philosophical

ideas of the Greeks and Romans were also important subject matter during this time period.

2. Discuss the political development of Italy during the Renaissance. What new politicalpractices (statecraft) did the Italians contribute to Europe? How are these new political

practices reflected in the work of Machiavelli?

Thesis Statement: The new political practices that the Italians contributed to Europe were the

concept of a balance of power and the modern diplomatic system, which reflected Machiavellis

work by preoccupation with stately political interests.

Body Paragraph 1:

Body Thesis: The concept of a balance of power established order and peace in a chaotic

realm of Italian territorial states.

CD: The Peace of Lodi, which was signed in 1454, ended half a century of war and

established a 50 year long peace.

CD: An alliance between the cities of Milan, Florence, and Naples led to a workable

balance of power within Italy.

Body Paragraph 2:

Body Thesis: The creation of the ambassador changed the political focus of the Italian

states and most of Europe by increasing diplomatic relations and information between states.


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CD: An increasingly large number of states led to a need of increase of security and public

relations between them, especially the smaller states overshadowed by their neighbors.

CD: The ambassadors power included exercising methods that were beneficial to the political

interests of the corresponding state.

Body Paragraph 3:

Body Thesis: Machiavellis ideas and principles laid the basis for the secularism of

modern politics.

CD: Machiavelli believed that a ruler should act on behalf of his state and not of his own

conscience.

CD: Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander VI, used ruthless measures and fierce laws

to create a new central state in Italy.

Concluding Statement: Political development in Italy during the Renaissance contributed not

only to the Italian States, but to the rest of Europe as well. The concepts of developing a balance

of power and a diplomatic system changed the priorities of the state and allowed more security

and communication throughout the country. The works of Machiavelli were also a major

influence on Italian rulers, which eventually led to the development of modern, secularized

politics.

3. The major characteristic in the development of the new monarchies was the expansion ofcentral government authority in the areas of economic, political, judicial, military, and

religious policy. Is this a valid statement in regard to England, Spain and France? Was thepattern of political development the same in Eastern Europe?

Thesis Statement: England, Spain, and France strengthened their government authority through

the use of developing new monarchies, while Eastern Europe struggled to achieve a

centralization of their territorial states.

Body Thesis: England, Spain and France centralized their power through unification of their

states by electing new monarchs.


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CD: After the War of the Roses, the Tudor king Henry VIII established a strong

monarchial government by reducing the power of the aristocracy and using diplomacy to avoidwars.

CD: Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain worked to strengthen their central government by

establishing new policies and reforming the Church and royal council.

CD: With the Pragmatic Sanction of Bourges, France established new power in the

monarchy while reducing papal influence in the government. Louis XVI later then created thebasis for a strong French monarchy.

Body Paragraph 2:

Body Thesis: Increasing developments in the economy greatly contributed to the favor of

the new monarchs by the lower classes of their countries.

CD: Henry VIIIs initiative to reduce overburdening taxes in the middle classes and thegentry provided much support for his monarchy.

CD: Louis XVI expanded the French economy by imposing a permanent land tax on the

population and encouraging the growth of commerce.

Body Paragraph 3:

Body Thesis: Eastern Europe struggled to develop strong centralized monarchies due to

threats of the Ottoman Turks, conflicts between the aristocracy and government, and religiousdifferences.

CD: The fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 severely weakened Eastern Europe as iteliminated the buffer between the two different regions.

CD: By the end of the 15th

century, the Ottoman Turks threatened the Holy RomanEmpire after the conquering of the Byzantine Empire.

CD: Polands problems with Bohemia and Hungary and war with the Russians and Turks

allowed the aristocrats to reestablish their power.

CD: Through the control of the Sejm, magnates in Poland reduced peasantry to serfdomand gained the right to elect their kings.

Concluding Statement: The establishment of new monarchies and rulers greatly strengthened the

governments of England, Spain, and France through reforming political structures and bolstering

the economy. Support for the lower classes and a reduction of internal dissention also resulted


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from these new developments. However, Eastern Europe failed to establish strong central

monarchies due to internal strife, increasing threats from the Ottoman Turks, and conflictsbetween ethical and religious groups.

4.

Discuss the major characteristics of the Renaissance papacy. What impact did the policies ofthe Renaissance popes have on the Catholic Church?

Thesis Statement: The major characteristics of the Renaissance papacy were theirpreoccupation with secularism and the attempt to reform the Church by eliminating heresy,

all of which impacted the Catholic Church by leading to a decline in moral leadership of

popes and its moral prestige.

Body Paragraph 1:

Body Thesis: Heresy became a major problem with the growing movements of English

Lollardy and Hussitism.

CD: John Wyclif, the leader of the Lollard movement preached that worshippers shouldreject all religious practices not mentioned in the Scriptures, and also alleged that popes

should be stripped of their temporal authority and property.

CD: The Hussite movement in the Czech Republic sparked a series of wars in the Holy

Roman Empire when John Hus, the leader of the group, was arrested and burned at the stake

as a heretic.

Body Paragraph 2:

Body Thesis: Attempts to reform the Church with decrees and papal bulls proved to be

unsuccessful in solving the problems associated with the papacy.

CD: The Council of Constance passed two reform decrees, Sacrosancta and Frequens,

which stated that the council received authority from God and gave them more power over

the pope.

CD: Pope Pius II issued the papal bull Execrabilis which condemned any appeals to a

council over the head of the pope as heretical, defeating the counciliar movement in a finalstand.

Body Paragraph 3:

Body Thesis: The declining morals and leadership of the popes led to a decline in papalprestige and made many Christians question the spiritual purity of their leaders.

CD: Pope Julius II, the warrior pope led personal armies against his armies, whichdisgusted most Christians who viewed the pope as a spiritual leader.


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CD: Pope Sixtus IV was known for his blatant practices of nepotism and debauchery in order

to seek financial gain for himself and his family.

Concluding Statement: The Church during the Renaissance was a time of chaos and

problematic events, especially heresy and reform. Attempts to deal with these problems

proved to be unsuccessful and only contributed to the decline of the Churchs prestige andmorals. Popes during this time period were known for their notorious practices and habits,

such as nepotism, pursuit of temporal interests, and debauchery.

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Chapter 12 Essay Questions