Documentary Questions and Answers: History of the Renaissance
A History Channel Documentary with Peter Weller

SQD’s Handouts and Lessons

History of the Renaissance with Peter Weller

1) By 476 the Roman Empire had collapsed and Western Europe is fractured. For centuries the area is ruled by __________ kings who referred to it as ______________________________.

2) By the twelfth century what type of government is taking shape in Italy?

3) The Renaissance was an age of ______________________________.
4) Italy restabilized through what? 5) Who were the ruling classes during the renaissance? 6) Who were the Medici? 7) What kind of relationship did neighboring republics have?

8) Sienna was located on a trade route between __________ and __________.
9) What was a major challenge faced by the Sienese? How did they solve it?

10) By the year 1035 how many miles of Bottini were there under Sienna? 11) This infrastructure allowed Sienna to control most of ______________________________.
12) In the 13th century Florence and Siena were rivals economically, __________ and __________.
13) True or False: Florence was the superior republic.
14) What natural disaster caused Sienna to lose more than half its population in just a few months? 15) True or False: Sienna never regained the prestige it lost.

16) How long did it take Florence to recover its population? 17) True or False: A patron class emerged and those wealthy individuals used their personal fortunes to commission large projects for the benefit of the people.
18) The Medici family sought to transform Florence to its former glory and make it the new __________.
19) What is Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as the Duomo?

20) The Duomo was built by Arnolfo di Cambio except for the __________ on top.
21) In the __________ it was finished by Filippo Brunelleschi.
22) Where did Brunelleschi study architecture? How long did he study there?

23) He returns to Florence and is commissioned to complete the dome. What made his design unique?

24) Construction began on ______________________________.
25) How did he overcome the challenge of lifting the heavy pieces of the dome to the construction area and placing them appropriately?

26) What additional challenge did Brunelleschi have to overcome? How did he overcome it?

27) When was construction finished? 28) What was Brunelleschi’s great contribution to modern engineering?

29) Why was this significant?

30) Leon Battista Alberti studied Brunelleschi and wrote about what he learned. This later inspired Pope Pius II to do what?

31) Describe the renovated city.

32) Friar Girolamo Savonarola predicted what? Describe how his prediction came true.

33) What weapon made Charles VIII so intimidating? 34) Architects were asked to help respond to the crisis. What creative response did they come up with?

35) Why did Rome become a ghost town by the 1400’s?

36) True or False: In 1490 the Medici family is “booted out” of Florence and Florence turns into a broke republic.
37) True or False: The great artists, including Da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo attempt to fill the void left by the Medici family in Florence. 38) What major infrastructure improvement did Pope Sixtus V oversee in Rome? What was the result?

39) What are obelisks and how were they used in Rome?

40) It took __________ men and __________ days to move a large obelisk to its new position in front of St. Peters.
41) True or False: The age of architects began in Florence. It soon transformed Rome and the rest of Europe.

History of the Renaissance with Peter Weller

1) By 476 the Roman Empire had collapsed and Western Europe is fractured. For centuries the area is ruled by German kings who referred to it as The Holy Roman Empire.

2) By the twelfth century what type of government is taking shape in Italy? Independent Italian Republics

3) The Renaissance was an age of invention and