| A | B |
|---|
| Alexander VI | Borgia pope notorious for his scandalous life. |
| Dante Alighieri | Poet and author of The Divine Comedy, written in the Italian vernacular. |
| Giovanni Boccacio | Italian author of The Decameron |
| Sandro Botticelli | Italian painter of Spring, Birth of Venus and other paintings with a mythological theme. |
| Filippo Brunelleschi | Architect, designed Church of San Lorenzo in Florence. |
| Michelangelo Buonarroti | Italian sculptor and painter, known for his Pieta, Sistine Chapel, David and much more. |
| Baldassare Castiglione | Italian author of The Book of the Courtier |
| Benvenuto Cellini | Goldsmith and sculptor, wrote an autobiography famous for its arrogance and self-praise. |
| Leonardo da Vinci | Painted The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and is the epitome of a Renaissance man. |
| Miguel de Cervantes | Spanish author of Don Quixote |
| Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent | Ruler of Florence, grandson of Cosimo de Medici. Patron of the arts. |
| Pico della Mirandola | Italian author of Oration on the Dignity of Man. |
| Donato di Donatello | Italian sculptor, known for his statue of David |
| Desiderius Erasmus | Dutch humanist, wrote The Praise of Folly. |
| Jacob Fugger | Fabulously wealthy German merchant and banker. |
| Lorenzo Ghiberti | Florentine sculptor of the early Renaissance, known for his bronze door in the baptistery of Florence. |
| Giotto | 14th cent. Florentine painter and architect, considered the forerunner of the Italian Renaissance.n |
| Francesco Guicciardini | Famous historian, wrote History of Italy, and History of Florence. |
| Hans Holbein the Younger | German painter, famous for his portraits of Tudor aristocracy. |
| Julius II | Warrior pope who decided to rebuild St. Peter's Basilica in Rome |
| Leo X | Medici pope who commissioned Raphael to paint frescoes in the Vatican. |
| Niccolo Machiavelli | Italian author of the political treatise The Prince, and of The Discourses. |
| Massacio | 15th century fresco painter of the early Renaissance. |
| Michel de Montaigne | French lawyer and humanist, wrote "Essays", preached moderation and toleration. |
| Sir Thomas More | Humanist and Chancellor of England, wrote Utopia. |
| Francesco Petrarch | Italian poet and humanist, "father" of Renaissance humanism. |
| François Rabelais | French satirist, physician and humanist, author of "Gargantua" and "Pantagruel". |
| Raphael Santi (or Sanzio) | Italian painter best known for his Madonnas and his Vatican frescoes. |
| Girolamo Savonarola | Italian friar and religious reformer, burnt at the stake. |
| Caterina Sforza | Famous for her education, courage, and cruelty. |
| Lorenzo Valla | Pope's secretary, and humanist, proved The Donation of Constantine to be a forgery. |
| Giorgio Vasari | Italian painter, wrote Lives of the Artists. |
| Peter Brueghel the Elder | Flemish painter, known for his realistic portrayals of peasant daily life. |
| Jacob Burckhardt | 19th cent. Swiss historian, wrote The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy. |
| Isabella d'Este | Duchess of Mantua, known for her intelligence and political wisdom. |
| Vittorino da Feltre | Founded a famous humanist school, whose educational system was based on classical ideas. |
| Johannes Gutenberg | His Bible was the first book printed with movable type. Did NOT invent the printing press! |
| Louis XI | The "Spider King" of France. |
| Henry VII | First Tudor king of England. |
| Francis I | French king who fought wars against the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. |
| Ivan III | 15th century grand-duke of Moscow, first to use the title of tsar.. |
| John Hus | Czech reformer, burned at the stake. |
| Marsilio Ficino | One of the leaders of the Florentine Platonic Academy. Translated classical works such as the Corpus Hermeticum. |
| Jan Van Eyck | Flemish painter, known for his minute attention to details. First to paint with oils. |
| Ferdinand and Isabella | King of Aragon and Queen of Castile, their marriage united Spain. |
| Sixtus IV | Pope notorious for his practice of nepotism. He made five of his nephews cardinals. |
| Albrecht Dürer | German painter, printmaker and engraver |
| Maximilian I | Hapsburg Holy Roman Emperor. His grandson was Charles V. |
| Federigo da Montefeltro | Ruler of Urbino, an Italian city-state, and a great patron of the arts |
| Leonardo Bruni | One of the first humanists to gain a thorough knowledge of the classical Greek language. Wrote History of the Florentine People. |
