Monetary Renaissance

The scholars of Italian Renaissance, begun in Florence, is considered alone the artistic context, the humanistic culture and philosophical nature of much intellectual certainly; it is a context that we must think as the example, but what the first determination that has guaranteed this predominance? The middle class of Florence that very active in merchant could celebrated its presence in Florence, thank to merchant and business that it has had in the Europe; the historical critic has underline this expansion typical of entrepreneurs, in fact in a Italian book( STORIA DEL COMMERCIO E DEI BANCHlERI DI FIRENZE IN TUTTO IL MONDO CONOSCIUTO DAL 1200 AL 1345, p.9) says: “Got up to throne Charles 1th, the Florentines to protection of popes, become much affected and able merchant, and they took profit to colonize and transfer their merchants…”, but the economic condition of Naples reign was very poor, and the Florentine merchants could not gain with sale of cloths, thereupon they thought other business, it is the money loan, above all because the new monarchy of Charles 1th(died in 1282), after the conquest of this reign in 1266, have to kept his armies with lands that he given to nobility men that has helped to conquest; thereupon the new king needed also very much money. The first lenders was the family Frescobaldi and Ardinghelli in years 1273, and Peruzzi in years 1289 or 1304, become the familiar of king: “29^th Juny…to Arnoldo Peruzzi Florentine familiar his(of king Charles 1th) and his family, regard much services that merchant men of society of Peruzzi have given and again they don’t break to give to person of king”; other document, in 1306, synthetized, as those following, show the importance of these merchant families in Naples and Florence because the Charles 2th asks to Florence to allow the Peruzzi family the permission to bring weapons to personal defense; but the step very meaningful is that: “…and they(the members of govern of Florence), as their antecedent…”; it is means that this family has had an important power in Florence, because antecedent govern men allowed the weapons to Peruzzi; their power thereupon was relevant. In 1307, 12^th October, king Charles 2th asked the payment of a sum of money that the reign of Naples can take through the Peruzzi society; evidently this family has conquered the preference of the king. The same king demands, to the administrator of justice in Bari, the payment of a sum to Florentine merchants of Bardi, Peruzzi and Acciarelli society 4000 ounces of gold to payment from royal court. The Peruzzi family has had his chapel in Saint Cross, Florence, decorated from Giotto, as the Bardi chapel; it attests that the Renaissance is pictorial and literary, but with money of these families; thereby the Renaissance was guaranteed from money of merchants and entrepreneurs, that after the capital has cured also the soul through the chapel and holy subject; in fact the Bardi family had the chapel in the Florentine church of Santa Croce, that was painted from Giotto(died in 1337), and the chapel in same church decorated from Maso di Banco(died in1348) 1336-1337, and after commissioned to Botticelli(1445-1510) the altarpiece for their chapel. Italian Renaissance and literary and history of art must thank these merchants, that has given the figurative and literary life to cultural 16^th century, otherwise it could be a common century. Some information about the economy of Florence during second half of 14^th century, that confirms the richness of the city: Florence was a center more solid of cloth and wood in Europe. In 1338 there were 200 wood stores, and between 1355-1374 were 402. In 1378 the number of laboratories was among 290 and 400, and the worker to wood were 9000 and part time 4000; every laboratory has had between 29 and 31 workers. We have information about some laboratory that has had 200 worker. It is I think is sufficient to explain that Florence was before a cultural center it was a economic center.

Alessandro Lusana