7th Standard Social History Chapter 2
MEDIEVAL EUROPE
EXERCISES
I Fill in the blanks:
1 Renaissance began in 1400 C.E – 1600 C.E
2 The famous artists of Renaissance period are Leonardo da Vinci and Michael Angelo.
3 Columbus called the native Americans as ‘Red Indians’.
4 The ship, which first circumnavigated the world, is Victoria.
5 Religious reformation in Germany was started by Martin Luther.
II Answer the following in one word or sentence each:
1 What are the two features of the Renaissance?
Answer: Humanism and rationalism were the most important two features of the Renaissance.
2 How did the printing press inspire the Renaissance?
Answer: The printing press, which was invented in the 15th Century, brought about revolutionary changes in the field of knowledge-dissemination. Earlier, a person could print only two books in a year. With the help of the printing machine, now he could print 24,000 printed copies of a book in a year. As a result, the price of printed books came down, and demand for them increased. Printing became more legible and beautiful than handwritten scripts. Books were easily available to those who were interesting in reading.
3 Who are the three famous authors of Renaissance period?
Answer: William Shakespeare, John Calvin and Cervantes are the three famous authors of Renaissance period.
4 Who is William Shakespeare?
Answer: William Shakespeare is the most important among English dramatists. He is a great dramatist like Kalidasa.
5 Name the two well-known scientists of the Renaissance period.
Answer: Copernicus and Galileo are the two well-known scientists of the Renaissance period.
6 What is Counter Reformation?
Answer: The attempts of the Catholic Church to bring about reforms in its internal functioning is called Counter Reformation.
7 Who is Marco Polo?
Answer: Marco Polo is a visitor who had visited the Asian countries (India, China) had reported that Asian countries were very wealthy.
8 Mention the inventions of Copernicus?
Answer: Copernicus of Poland found that the Earth was one of the many planets that revolved round the Sun. He also theorized that Earth rotates on its axis daily and revolves around the sun annually.
II Discuss:
1 Discuss the contributions of Renaissance movement to the fields of art, literature and science.
Answer: The contributions of Renaissance movement to the fields of art, literature and science.
Art: In the 16th Century, there were many talented artists in Italy. Prominent among them were Leonardo da Vinci and Michael Angelo. Leonardo da Vinci was a wonderful painter, sculptor, scientist, engineer, architect and mathematician. ‘Virgin on the Rocks’, ‘The Last Supper’ and ‘Mona Lisa’ are his famous paintings.
Literature: During the Renaissance, literature was written in the national or the local languages. Petrarch was the first of the authors. He had great admiration for Ancient Greek and Roman literature. Dante was a great Italian poet. ‘The Divine Comedy’ is his greatest epic Boccaccio was an expert story-teller. ‘Decameron’ is his great literary work. John Calvin was the religious reformer who gave a new style to French prose literature. Cervantes was an important Spanish writer of the Renaissance period. William Shakespeare is the most important among English dramatists. He wrote some excellent plays. ‘Julius Caesar’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘King Lear’, ‘Macbeth’ are some of his plays. He is a great dramatist like Kalidasa.
Science: The development of modern science began during the period of Renaissance. Copernicus of Poland knew that the Earth was one of the many planets that revolved round the Sun. The Italian astronomer, Galileo invented the telescope. He strongly supported Copernicus’ argument. Sir Isaac Newton of England proved that ‘Gravitational’ force was the reason for the falling down of objects which had been thrown up in the air. William Harvey (1478 – 1557) discovered the circulation of blood in the human body. Vesalius, a Belgian scientist, published a valuable book about blood circulation in the body.
2 What is the role of Martin Luther in the religious reformation movement?
Answer: Martin Luther was the leader who started the Religious Reformation Movement in Germany. He was a priest at St. Augustine Church. Martin Luther who witnessed the ostentatious lifestyle of the Pope and the clergy at Rome, rebelled against them. He wrote 95 statements against the sale of indulgences and nailed them on the main door of Wittenburg Church in order to spread awareness among the people. Luther translated the Bible into German, making it comprehend by common people. He began to use German language in the place of Latin during religious services of the church. The Catholic Church referred to his followers as ‘Protestants’ (those who rebelled). Gradually, Protestants emerged as a sect of Christianity and spread all over the world.
3 Discuss the effects of geographical discoveries.
Answer: The effects of geographical discoveries are as follows.
Expansion of Trade: The Europeans converted the newly discovered lands into their commercial colonies. As a result, global trade expanded widely. Asian goods captured a huge market in Europe. The profit gained from all these commercial activities went to the Europeans.
Slave Trade: The Europeans made the natives of West Indies, Mexico, Peru and Brazil their slaves. Gradually, they started selling slaves like goods. This ‘slave trade’ became inhuman over a period of time. The slaves were made to work hard and were treated cruelly.
Spread of Christian Principles: This development led to the spread of Christian principles across the globe. Further, this development also played a significant role of shaping colonialism.
Political effect: Severe competition arose among the European countries for the possession of colonies and their wealth. The European countries established their colonial bases in the continents of Asia, Africa and America.
Additional Questions and Answers.
- What is meant by ‘Renaissance’.
Answer: ‘Renaissance’ means the Re-birth. It also means the ‘Revival’.
- Where did this ‘Renaissance’ movement occur?
Answer: ‘Renaissance’ movement occurred in Italy.
- What are the reasons for the Renaissance?
Answer: Ideological freedom was the primary reason for the Renaissance. The other reasons were the attack on the city of Constantinople, the impact of geographical explorations, invention of the printing press, spread of education, decline of feudalism etc.
- Describe the attack on Constantinople city.
Answer: In the mid 15th Century (1453 C.E.), the Turkish Sultan, Mohammed II, attacked Constantinople, the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. During this invasion, the Turks seized the city from Emperor Constantine. The important fact to be noted here is that for 11 centuries before 1453 C.E. this city was the centre of knowledge.
- What are the sects in Christianity?
Answer: There are many sects in Christianity. ‘Catholic’ and ‘Protestant’ are the two important sects among them.
- Who was Martin Luther?
Answer: Martin Luther was the leader who started the Religious Reformation Movement in Germany. He was a priest at St. Augustine Church.
- What were the effects of the religious reformation movement?
Answer: The followers of Jesus got divided into two sects as Catholics and Protestants. The illegal activities that were being practised in the name of religion in the Catholic Church ended. In the struggle for power between the Pope and the kings, gradually the kings became more powerful.
- What is meant by Geographical Explorations?
Answer: Till the 15th Century, the Europeans were not aware of all the places in the world. With the belief that the earth was flat, they carried on trade only up to the coastal areas of Europe. Gradually, their curiosity, desire for trade and adventurous spirit drove them to explore new lands on the earth. These are called Geographical explorations.
- What were the reasons for the geographical explorations?
Answer: The reasons for the geographical explorations were as follows:
Attack on the city of Constantinople : In 1453 C.E., the Turks occupied the city of Constantinople. They brought in obstacles to the trade of the Europeans that used to take place through this city. Hence, it became imperative for the Europeans to discover a new sea route to the East Asian countries.
• The reports of Marco Polo : Marco Polo who had visited the Asian countries (India, China) had reported that Asian countries were very wealthy. His account stimulated the interest of the European traders towards geographical explorations.
Demand for Asian goods : There was a great demand for Asian goods and spices in Europe.
Scientific inventions : The new scientific inventions of compass, astrolabs and huge ships called caravel proved to be a boon to the navigators engaged in sea voyages.
Religious motivation : The Christian missionaries started looking towards Asia and Africa for the propagation of their religion.
Activities: 1 Prepare an album by collecting photographs of the architecture, sculpture and paintings of Renaissance period along with a description of them. 2 Gather more information about the following religious leaders: John Wycliffe, Ignatius Loyola. 3 Collect more information about the important navigators who discovered new lands. 4 Read B.G.L.Swamy’s book ‘South America in our stomach’, and make a list of the fruits and vegetables introduced by the Europeans to India.
