Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
New
New
Year 7

The background to the Renaissance

I can explain why the Renaissance began.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
New
New
Year 7

The background to the Renaissance

I can explain why the Renaissance began.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
View new resources
arrow-right

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The Renaissance began in the 14th century.
  2. More scholars were interested in the Greek and Roman world.
  3. The Renaissance was sparked by intellectual curiosity.
  4. The Renaissance began in southern Europe.
  5. Educated people such as humanists communicated in Latin.

Keywords

  • Renaissance - from a French term for ‘rebirth’, the Renaissance was a period of revival in European art and literature under the influence of classical ideas

  • Classical - something is classical when it relates to ancient Greece or Rome

  • Humanists - humanists were people who were interested in the classical world and the potential of the human race

Common misconception

Pupils may think that many of the ideas of the Renaissance were new to science, literature and art.

Explain to pupils that the Renaissance was a period during which knowledge lost in Western Europe was rediscovered, rather than created for the first time.

If time allows, discuss the ideas present in De rerum natura in more detail. Focus on the idea that while Lucretius did not challenge the existence of God, or gods, he did challenge the idea that they could have an impact on the lives of humans.
Teacher tip

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Skip lesson video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
The civil war that began in England during the reign of Henry VI was known as the War of the...
Correct Answer: Roses, roses
Q2.
Which of these battles was the bloodiest ever fought on English soil?
Correct answer: Towton
Mortimer's Cross
St Albans
Barnet
Wakefield
Q3.
The Paston letters reveal how families from which social group were impacted by the Wars of the Roses?
The nobility
The peasantry
The clergy
Correct answer: The gentry
Q4.
Which of these aspects of strong kingship were tested during the Wars of the Roses?
Correct answer: A king's ability to wage war
A king's piety
A king's ability to win territory overseas
Correct answer: A king's ability to control unruly nobles
Q5.
Starting with the earliest, place these events in chronological order.
1 - Henry VI is captured at St Albans
2 - Richard, duke of York, is killed at Warwick
3 - Edward IV is victorious at Towton
4 - Richard III seizes the throne
5 - Henry VII defeats Richard III at Bosworth
Q6.
Which of these best describes who was affected by the Wars of the Roses?
The gentry, the nobility and the Houses of York and Lancaster
Correct answer: Men and women from all social classes
The clergy and the peasants
The Houses of York, Lancaster and Tudor

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these humanists came earliest?
Niccoli
Bracciolini
Correct answer: Petrarch
Q2.
With the rediscovery of classical knowledge, this period saw artistic and scientific ‘rebirth’ known as the...
Correct Answer: Renaissance, renaissance
Q3.
Which of these best describes Lucretius' De rerum natura?
It was a religious poem about the nature of God
Correct answer: It was a poem arguing about the things that make up the universe
It was a poem written as an attack on the Catholic Church
Q4.
Humanists were interested in the world of ancient Greece and Rome.
Correct Answer: classical, Classical
Q5.
When Niccoli received Bracciolini's copy of De rerum natura he it.
Correct Answer: copied
Q6.
Where did humanists like Petrarch and Bracciolini find classical documents?
In the great university libraries of the age
In the markets of the Italian city-states.
Correct answer: In the libraries of religious buildings

Additional material

Download additional material
We're sorry, but preview is not currently available. Download to see additional material.