This Polish astronomer challenged traditional authority by proposing a heliocentric (sun-centered) model of the universe.
Nicolaus Copernicus
This German monk triggered a religious revolt against the Roman Catholic Church by posting his Ninety-Five Theses.
Martin Luther
This term describes the spread of ideas or religions, such as Buddhism into Japan or Islam into Spain
Cultural Diffusion
This movement reintroduced classic Greco-Roman ideas to Western culture
Renaissance
A letter written by a Peruvian chief about life under Spanish rule is considered this type of historical evidence
Primary Source
This 17th-century movement was characterized by the use of the scientific method to solve problems and understand the natural world.
Scientific Revolution
This Renaissance invention allowed Luther’s ideas to spread across Europe in weeks rather than years
Printing Press
This 14th-century catastrophe reached Europe via merchants and travelers using Black Sea ports.
Black Death
This Italian city-state is considered the birthplace of the Renaissance because it was a wealthy center of trade.
Florence
This group, led by Genghis and Kublai Khan, extended their influence across most of Asia during the 1200s.
Mongols
This Italian scientist was put on trial by the Church for supporting the theory that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Galileo Galilei
Martin Luther’s primary grievance was the Church's sale of these, which promised the forgiveness of sins in exchange for money
Indulgences
This 1453 event forced Spain and Portugal to seek new water-based trade routes to East Asia.
Fall of the Byzantine Empire
Unlike the Middle Ages, Renaissance philosophers emphasized this, which focused on human potential and life on Earth
Secularism and Humanism
This empire rose to power in 1453 after defeating the Byzantine Empire
The Ottoman Empire
The Scientific Revolution was a direct cause of this later shift in thinking, which applied reason and experimentation to political systems.
What is the Enlightenment
Both movements emphasized this Renaissance value, which stresses the importance of the individual.
Individualism
Using the example of the Black Death, draw a conclusion about the relationship between global trade and public health.
Increased interaction and trade between different regions facilitates the rapid spread of epidemic diseases
In his book The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli advised rulers that "the end justifies the means." How did this philosophy transform the way European monarchs viewed their power compared to the religious standards of the Middle Ages?
It shifted politics from a religious/moral basis to a secular/practical basis
Let's tackle a $400 question for the Global Interactions category that focuses on the Mongols. This is a key part of your exam (Question #12) because it highlights how the world was connected before the European Age of Exploration.
Question: During the Pax Mongolica (Mongol Peace), the Mongol Empire controlled almost the entire Silk Road. How did this period of "transformation" impact trade and the spread of technology between China and Europe?
increasing security and cultural diffusion
Based on the works of Newton, Descartes, and Galileo, explain how the Scientific Revolution fundamentally changed the European view of "Truth."
Truth was no longer based on traditional or religious authority, but on observable evidence and mathematical proof.
This series of meetings was held by the Catholic Church to define its doctrines and address the challenges raised by Protestants
Council of Trent
Explain how the fall of the Byzantine Empire in 1453 acted as a "catalyst" for the European Age of Exploration.
When the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople, they seized control of the traditional overland Silk Road trade routes. This forced Atlantic nations like Spain and Portugal to "transform" their maritime technology to find a direct water route to the spices of Asia, shifting the center of world trade from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.
Explain why Italy's geography was the primary reason the Renaissance began there rather than in Northern Europe.
Its location in the Mediterranean made it a natural hub for trade with the East, creating the wealth necessary to fund the arts
Explain how a historian’s "Point of View" (bias) might affect their account of the Spanish conquest of the Incas. Why must a historian use both Spanish journals and Indigenous accounts (like those of Huaman Poma) to create an accurate historical narrative?
avoiding bias/seeking multiple perspectives