ITALIAN CITY-STATES
Humanities Eight
Instructor: Ms. M. Morris
What is a city-state?
at the time of Renaissance Europe the borders and
boundaries were much different than they are today
most countries were more like kingdoms, or
principalities ruled by monarchs
Italy was composed of different city states
A city-state consisted of a city that was politically
independent and the rural area around it
The rural area was called the “hinterland”
What are the factors that led
to the success of the Italian
City States?
dozens of city-states grew across the
northern half of Italy
factors that led to the success of these
city-states included:
Factor #1 - Geography
Italy was the closest to the port cities of
northern Africa and the eastern
Mediterranean Sea which allowed for the
transportation of spices and other luxury
items
Because they were so close transporting
these goods by sea made them cheaper
than for those of other European
countries
Factor #2 - Climate
it was milder in this part of Europe than those
countries north of the Alps
therefore trade was not interrupted due to winter
weather
they also had a longer growing season which produced
crops like olives (pressed to make olive oil) and
grapes(fermented to make wine) that were used in trade
Factor #3 - Leadership
in pre-modern Europe most countries were ruled by
monarchies (kings and queens) while in Northern Italy
there were independent city-states
the city-states had their own governments, armies, and
controlled their own affairs
city-states like Venice, Milan, Florence and Genoa grew
into the wealthiest trading, business and banking
centres of Europe
Factor #4 – Social
Organization
Feudalism did not have a strong hold in Northern Italy
as it did in the rest of Europe
when Feudalism ended, the nobles in these areas just
moved into the cities and took their place in the upper
classes of urban society
they began businesses or entered into politics
What did success look like in
a powerful city-state?
there was rivalry amongst all of the city-states as they
wanted to expand their trade and their businesses
example: Genoa and Venice competed for the control
of the sea routes around the Mediterranean
Example #1 - Venice
when the city was first founded by the Roman as a group of
islands in a protected harbor that was easily defended
against invasion
over a hundred years later it was a great trading centre with
dealings with the East
at the height of its power, Venetian merchants had
thousands of ships travelling throughout the Mediterranean
Sea and eventually along the Atlantic coasts to ports in
Northern Europe
The “Venice Arsenal” became the largest ship building
centre in Europe employing two to three thousand workers
Example #2 - Genoa
controlled a share of trade in the eastern
Mediterranean and also ports in the Black Sea
in western Mediterranean it controlled trade with
Spanish ports of Barcelona and Valencia
Venice and Genoa were on equal footing with regards
to power and trade until the Genoese fleet was
destroyed in a naval battle with Venice in 1380
Genoa never regained its former power
Assignment:
Use the information provided on
the sheets and answer the questions
regarding Florence, Venice and
about doing business.
Refer to the next slide for a better
look at figure 2-11
How did merchants make
money?
merchants made money by buying goods in one place
and then selling them for a higher price in another
place
merchants dealt in spices, luxury items that were ready
to be sold in the market place
they also bought and sold resources such as wool for
cloth
How were workers protected?
often workers belonged to a “guild” which helped to
protect the rights of its workers, but in Florence a small
group of workers known as the ciompi (wood carders)
was not allowed to build a large guild by the
government which was run by wealthy merchants; as a
result they revolted and took over the government of
Florence for awhile
eventually the ciompi were defeated by the more
powerful guilds
How were bankers involved in
commerce?
bankers also brought money to the city-states
Florentine bankers established banking houses across
Europe
The economy of Florence became so strong that the
golden “florin” became the most important currency
in Europe during the Renaissance Period
How did bankers make
money?
These Florentine bankers created more wealth by charging interest
when loaning money to someone, this was called Usury
At first the church preached that ursury was sinful and should not
be allowed
Yet international trade required the large investment of money
that would be tied up for years or had a good amount of risk to it
so the Church began to allow the charging of interest (ursury) for
these high risk loans (example: financing trading voyages were
dangerous due to shipwreck and pirates)
Over time bankers introduced new ideas to make trade and
business easier between countries
What does the artist suggest about the wife’s worldview
by showing her turning away from the religious book in
her hand to look at money?
How were politics impacted
by the desire for wealth?
Politics was impacted by the city states wealth in that all social groups
(nobles, bankers, shopkeepers, wealthy merchant families, small
merchants, and craftspeople) all anted power
Merchants and bankers disliked constant war or struggles as it
interfered with making money, therefore they supported strong
political leaders who promised stability and peace
Florence competed with other city-states in banking
Italian and European bankers travelled around Europe on business
which exposed Europeans to the Italian ideals and lifestyle
Also wealthy travelers from Europe, as well as artists and scholars
visited Italy and were impressed by the cities and their sophistication;
therefore when they returned to their home countries they took the
Italian values and ideas with them
What effect did money have
on other parts of Italian
culture?
after the Black Death the economy in Italy went
through a period of depression until the early 1500s
bankers and merchants continued to grow in wealth
through trade and commerce
Comparing Worldviews with
Regards to Wealth
The Nuu-chah-nulth
The Nuu-cah band consists of 15
separate but related First Nations
whose traditional home is the western
coast of Vancouver Island
Here is how Chief Maquinna
described their “banks”:
Chief Maquinna
Once I was in Victoria, and I saw a very
large house. They told me it was a bank and
that the white men place their money
there…and that by and by they get it back
with interest. We are Indians and we have no
such bank; but when we have plenty of money
or blankets, we give them away to other
chiefs…and our hearts feel good. Our way of
giving is our bank.
Discuss: Turn to your group
and discuss this question.
What does Chief Maquinna’s
quotation reveal about the Nuuchah-nulth worldview?
How did wealthy people
invest their money?
this economic inequality with the merchants still
making money but others not being as prosperous
caused an increase in investment in art and culture
there was very little for the wealthy to spent their
money and wealth on therefore they began to buy art
they also helped to beautify the cities and this
encouraged feelings of loyalty and pride in the general
public for their city-state
Who were the Medici Family?
Read the article about the Medici Family and answer
the questions.
Wealth and Responsibility
Read the paragraphs on Wealth
and Responsibility and answer
the questions using complete
sentences. Remember to apply
your ideas to the Worldview Icon
to ensure understanding.