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City-states in Italy
Venice was founded in the fifth century by people fleeing
from Attila the Hun. They settled on a group of islands on the northeastern
edge of the Italian peninsula. Shipbuilding was the primary industry in
Venice. During the Crusades, Venetian ships provided transportation to
the Holy Land. By the 13th century, Venice was the most prosperous city
in Europe. Florence, the “city of flowers,” was located in the hill country of north-central Italy. It prospered because of the wool industry. Sheep were raised in the rock hill country of central Italy, and Florence was a center of wool processing. During most of the Renaissance, wealthy merchants dominated Florence. The merchants competed with one another by building grand
palaces for themselves. The merchants were patrons of the arts. Patron
comes from the Latin word for father. They hired artists to fill their
homes with beautiful paintings and sculptures. Patrons bought rare books
and paid scholars to teach their children. The money and encouragement
of patrons together with that of the church made the masterpieces of
Renaissance art possible. |
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During
the Middle Ages, much of Italy was controlled by the Holy Roman Empire.
As the emperors and popes fought for control, both were weakened. Several
Italian cities formed states that were independent of both the empire
and the church. Venice and Florence were two centers of power and wealth
that became the cradle of the Renaissance.
The
city became rich by collecting taxes on all merchandise brought into its
harbor. Venice built huge warships that protected the valuable cargo of
its merchant ships from pirate raids. With the vast wealth from trade,
many of the leading families of Venice vied with one another to build
the finest palaces or support the work of the greatest artists.