Rennasiance essays

Rennasiance essays A booming economy along with the communes desire to obtain political power led to the formation of a new class in society which ultimately lead Europe into a period simply known as the Renaissance. Northern Italys thriving economy was a result of great advances in shipbuilding. Their ships were capable of sailing year round and could travel even greater distances, which meant they could eliminate middle men and make an even greater profit on their goods. Genoa and Venice also increased the size of their ships which allowed them to carry larger quantities of the goods. These factors lead to the development of the Florence wool industry in which thousands were hired to produce exquisite woolen cloth which, in turn, were sold at high prices. Florence bankers had also secured control of papal banking and the resulting profits from loans, investments, and money exchanges flooded into the economy. The period from 1050 to 1300 was a great time of prosperity so naturally men wanted economic freedom. The Northern Italian cities were communes in which men vowed to obtain political and economic freedom from the higher powers. These men were joined by nobles who saw an opportunity to gain wealth and power via maritime trade and availability of new public offices. This new class formed by feudal nobility and commercial aristocracy, was opposed by the popolo who felt they were being mistreated by the new communal government. They used violence to obtain power and they too mistreated those with less social standing. They were unable to establish social order so signori and constitutional oligarchies took their place. The Italian peninsula was now controlled by 5 powers during the Renaissance. These 5 powers successfully crushed revolts, collected taxes, and used large building programs to employ the masses. For years Italy was at war with itself as city-states battled one another. Eventually the idea of having resident ambassador was ...