Why was Italy the centre of the Renaissance?

What does the word 'Renaissance' mean?

• Re-building

• Re-learning

• Re-birth

• Re-minding

Italy's geographical position is best described as what?

• an island

• an achipelago

• land-locked

• a peninsular

Which two of these factors made the city of Florence very wealthy by the start of the 1400s?

• Trade with other countries through sea routes

• It was the centre of banking

• It had a successful wool and cloth making industry and trade

• It had gold mines

Which term best describes how Italy was organised politically by the start of the 1400s?

• Independent city states

• Empire

• Centralised monarchy

• Anarchy

How did the fact that Italy was divided into areas ruled by different cities help the Renaissance happen?

• They cooperated and shared ideas.

• They fought each other all the time and destroyed each others' cities.

• They competed with each other to build the best buildings and employ the best scientists.

• They lent money to each other.

Italy had the highest proportion of people in Europe that lived in urban areas by the 1400s. What percentage of Italians lived in towns and cities?

• 5%

• 10%

• 20%

• 50%

Which of these reasons was NOT a benefit of living in an Italian town?

• They were protected by walls so rich people felt safe.

• Goods were taxed so towns became very wealthy.

• Towns were crowded so disease spread quickly.

• Ideas could spread more rapidly.

Italy's city states were ruled by powerful and wealthy families. What was the name of the family that ruled Florence for much of the Renaissance period?

• Sforza

• Medici

• Doge

• The Pope

How did the Christian Church help cause the Renaissance? Choose three answers.

• It had great wealth which it spent on employing architects and artists to build and decorate churches and cathedrals.

• It was the centre of pilgrimages from other places which meant ideas could be spread.

• It paid scientists to discover new things about the world.

• It set up universities to educate rich students to become doctors and priests.

What did people fleeing the Muslim conquest of Constantinople bring back to Italy after 1453 that helped the Renaissance develop?

• Ancient Greek and Roman manuscripts containing knowledge that had been lost in Europe for centuries.

• Huge golden statues.

• Religious artifacts that were sold for money.

• Maps of Eastern Europe and the Middle East