Renaissance and Reformation Glossary

An artistic technique using strong contrasts between light and dark to model three-dimensional forms, giving figures volume and dramatic intensity.

An ecumenical council of the Catholic Church held in three sessions between 1545 and 1563 that reaffirmed Catholic doctrines, reformed clerical abuses, and defined the Church's response to Protestantism.

The Catholic Church's reform movement in response to Protestantism, including the Council of Trent, new religious orders (Jesuits), the Inquisition, and the Index of Forbidden Books.

'Whose realm, his religion.' The principle from the Peace of Augsburg (1555) granting each prince the right to determine the religion of his territory.

An intellectual movement focused on the study of classical Greek and Roman texts (studia humanitatis), emphasizing human reason, potential, and achievement alongside moral philosophy.

A grant by the Catholic Church reducing the temporal punishment for sins, either for the living or the dead in purgatory. The sale of indulgences was a key target of Luther's criticism.

A Renaissance artistic technique using mathematical principles to create the illusion of depth and three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional surface.

The Calvinist doctrine that God has eternally chosen (elected) certain individuals for salvation and others for damnation, independent of any human merit or action.

A Catholic religious order founded by Ignatius of Loyola in 1540, known for rigorous education, global missionary work, and intellectual engagement in service of the Counter-Reformation.

Latin for 'faith alone.' The Protestant doctrine that salvation is achieved through faith in God's grace, not through good works or sacraments.

Latin for 'Scripture alone.' The Protestant principle that the Bible is the sole infallible authority for Christian faith and practice, rejecting papal and Church tradition as co-equal authorities.

The native or common language of a region, as opposed to Latin. The use of vernacular languages in literature and religion was a key feature of both the Renaissance and Reformation.