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Florence : A Burst Of Individualism

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In the thirteenth and fourteenth century, the trade between cities in Europe grew to new heights, which created enormous wealth. The Renaissance occurred through the fourteenth century until the seventeenth century and said to be “a burst of individualism”(3). The most distinct symbols of the Renaissance occurred in Florence where trade and banking are directly linked to the success of the arts during the time period. Many families grew extremely rich and powerful through the trade and banking. The most well know family was the Medici’s, who developed to be the most powerful and most crucial influences of the Renaissance.
The origin of the Medici bank was in Florence, Italy and its locations was one of the biggest contributors to the banks success. Florence was accessible by road for trade or along a river, known as The Arno that connected to the Mediterranean Sea. The cities biggest product that the merchants traded was cloth. Cloth was the cities main product because the factories were able to use the water from the river to run their factories. Florence was connected to the cities of Rome and Pisa by river and roads as well for trade. Both Rome and Pisa are located close to the mouth of The Arno River, a short travel from the Mediterranean Sea making them large trading ports. In comparison to other cities, the wealth and trading routes of Florence made it easy for the bank to run their business.
During this time period, the church acted as a form of government and they

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