3: Renaissance

The Renaissance:

The Renaissance itself was not meant to replicate the ancient worlds of Greece and Rome, but to surpass them. It was a forward moving exploration and experimentation in the fields of science, astronomy, medicine, botany, global exploration, art, theater, creative writing, and music. The movement itself challenged established political and religious norms often shaking the very foundations of both the church and the regional powers. It was a time of great intellectual expansion as well as political upheavals. A most fascinating time in European history filled with intrigue, assassinations, the sacking of a sacred city, monumental achievements in the visual arts, the development of the printing press (dissemination of knowledge and affordable literature), and the further splitting of the Catholic church. Add to this the rise of Islam and you have the ingredients for even greater conflict as well as diversity in creative thought, ideas, and innovation.

During this era, the national borders we are familiar with today did not exist. The Roman Catholic church had power over most of Western Europe at this time and the regions would be controlled either by local governments, such as the Republican form of governance in Florence, or by local dukes, and/or monarchies (kings and queens). Peace was a balancing act between these players, with certain factions exhibiting dominance through ambition, use of wealth and by force of arms.

The Money:

From the millennium until the time of the Renaissance, Western Europe stabilized and grew. There was tremendous growth in the major European city populations with businesses needed to meet the needs of the people. The merchant class was established producing, selling and/or trading clothing, food, housing, livestock, weapons of war, pottery, musical instruments, carriages, horse tack, rugs and textiles, and so on. Banks were established to meet the rising needs of businesses and wealth was accumulated within this working middle class. Ambitious people outside the traditional knighted lineage created wealth for themselves and rose to prominence within communities, cities, regions, and even on the world stage. The most notable of these families is the Medici.

There were several major financial players in Italy at the time of the Renaissance. Established banking families like the Pazzi family as well as the Roman Catholic Church controlled much of the building and art commissions in Florence and Rome. By doing this, they controlled the narrative and influenced a mostly illiterate populace through a partly theocratic form of governance. Florence was a Republic, as were many of the surrounding Italian city states, and had a certain autonomy from both rival states and the Vatican. However, a political alignment with the Vatican was much desired since the Vatican had a powerful army capable of subduing the armies of the city states. A good example of this is the sack of Prado.

Established banking families in Florence around 1400 are:

These families would have many knights in their lineage and considerable power and prestige both in the government and with the people of Florence. There is one family that runs a banking business from the back of a wool shop and its story is one that is the stuff of legends. In this story we have murder and imprisonment, bets with a pirate, illegal dissections of human bodies, and an obsession with uncovering the secrets of the ancient world. This may all be of little historical concern to us, except this family dynasty used much of its wealth to create a brand by commissioning the greatest artists of the time to build, sculpt, and paint masterpieces to put their power and influence in display for both Italy and the world to see. This family is the Medici.

There were several major financial players in Italy at the time of the Renaissance. Established banking families like the Pazzi family as well as the Roman Catholic Church controlled much of the building and art commissions in Florence and Rome. By doing this, they controlled the narrative and influenced a mostly illiterate populace through a partly theocratic form of governance. Florence was a Republic, as were many of the surrounding Italian city states, and had a certain autonomy from both rival states and the Vatican. However, a political alignment with the Vatican was much desired since the Vatican had a powerful army capable of subduing the armies of the city states. A good example of this is the sack of Prado.