Nation+Building+-+Italian+City-States

There was only one king in all of Italy, who was the king of Naples. Moslems, Normans, Holy Roman emperors, Popes and Byzantine armies took a big interest in this area. Naples was a common battleground for Centuries. In 1253 The Pope claimed to be the feudal lord of Naples and Sicily. Charles Anjou was the brother of King Louis the 6th of France. In 1265 the Pope needed to protect himself from the German imperial family: Hohenstaufen. Therefore the Pope called Charles Anjou. Charles succeeded in freeing the Pope from the German menace and so was made king of Naples. Naples and Sicily are very connected because the French ruled Sicily from Naples.
 * //Naples, Italy[[image:http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/4755721/2/stock-photo-4755721-charles-of-anjou.jpg width="158" height="236" align="right" link="http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/4755721/2/stock-photo-4755721-charles-of-anjou.jpg"]] //**

The house of Aragon intervened, causing a terrible climax to rise in 1282. The War of the Sicilian Vespers lasted for 20 years from 1282-1302. Naples was the only Kingdom that was under the rule of the Avengin dynasty and then under the rule of the Crown of Aragon. The kingdom of Naples was in dispute between two ruling houses: Anjou (France) and Aragon (Spain). Sicily was under the control of Aragonese while Avengins rule the rest of southern Italy from Naples.

Charles II of Anjou lived in Naples for the rest of his life and improved the city. Alfonso conquered Naples in 1442. The two kingdoms, Sicily and Naples, were reunited in 1435. Alfonso Magnanimous succeeded to the throne of Naples. He then became king of both Naples and Sicily After fighting to unite Naples and Sicily Alfonso divided them again right before he died in 1458. The Aragonese was the line from Alfonso; they were able to maintain control of the two kingdoms. They were able to keep Avengin out until the end of the sixteenth century when the French invaded Naples. This made Italy the battleground for French-Spanish rivalries for many more generations.

Alfonso enlarged the arsenal mole, drained swamps, built and repaired aqueducts, paved streets and roads, and knocked down houses that were falling apart to build new ones. He opened up schools full of culture and curiosity. Alfonso abolished the “people seat” which was a function that didn’t have any power but was filled we by a representative from the working class. Since he abolished it he wasn’t very popular.

In 1532 the Spanish ruled Naples and therefore Naples status declined. The Spanish lords were rich and they were filling up Naples. Many country folks vanished because of the demands for potentates. Naples was famous for their parades and fireworks. This attracted many people and many admired Naples for this. Many musicians were very talented and they were the best in the entire city. Naples printers were the first to publish music.

The luckiest made their money from the rich who loved to be surrounded by servants. Merchants would use their wealth as a stepping-stone to political and economic leadership. Bankers would also make loans to kings. Naples had a great reputation for their music. It was one of the wealthiest cities of trade in all of Italy. The location made it very convenient, being right on the Mediterranean Sea. Trade brought many different ideas to Italy and Italians relied on trade for their everyday life.



**//Venice, Ital //****//y //** Attila the Hun

The first settlers of Venice arrived in the 5th century fleeing from Attila the Hun. Attila the Hun was the ruler and general of the Huns. He and his brother took over <span style="font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;">the throne from his uncle. When Attila’s brother died, he took over total power over the Huns. He was a very victorious fighter with his army by his side. After many wins, he marched his army into Italy and attacked them. He was then defeated at the battle ground. At the end of the 5th century he died on the night of his wedding day.

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;">Economy

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;">Venice in the 13th century was the most prosperous city in Europe. Their economy thrived and they soon became the center of power and wealth. Shipbuilding was the primary industry of that time. They build huge warships to protect their merchandise. During the Crusades the Venetian ships served as transportation to the “Holy Land”. Not only were these ships used in battle to help them win, but it also helped to bring in trade. Venice received trade privileges from Byzantine, German, and Mohammedans. They supplied trade for Italy, France and the Germans. Their trade was so affluent that they became rich by collecting taxes on all goods going through its harbor. With the wealth that trade brought in, trade families decided to use their money to build their own palaces to live in. <span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;">

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;">Government

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;">In the 6th century, the government of Venice was ruled by tribunes who were overseen by Dukes. Later on, the merchant oligarchy took over the Dukes and became the head power in Venice. The merchant oligarchy was broken down into smaller representatives. There was a small council of six and a great council of thousands. Within the council of thousands, a small council of ten broke out and seized control over Venice. They rose to power and led Italy to its “perfect state”. They kept Italy under control for a while until in the 1300s; a new government came to rule. <span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;">This new development was held under and oligarchic constitutions. The rulers of this time however resisted despotic infiltration and left the executive power in the signoria. The signoria was an organization headed by the doge who was elected for life and had the highest degree in respect and honor. From then on, Venice was the only city state who went through every power struggle and in the end kept the same basic structure of a republic.

<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;">Neighboring Issues

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;">Throughout Italy there were always many wars that broke out among the rising city states. However, in 1376, a full-fledged war broke out between Venice and Genoa. This war lasted four years. It ended in 1380 when the Venetians annihilated the Genoese forces. After settling this problem, the Milanese expansion laid another threat to them. Venice succeeded in protecting its land and keeping it under control by protecting their trade routes and food supply. This succession was known as the terra firma. It helped Venice stay strong as a city state and focus its attentions inland and away from the seas which eventually made if the world power it once was.

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif; font-size: 150%;">//**Milan, Italy**// <span style="font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif;">Milan was one of many of the city-states that were involved in the Lombard League. The name Lombard League was given to the cities that were of Lombardy. The league originally consisted of 16 cities and then expanded to 20 cities. The league was founded by Alexander the Third. This League was an alliance that was formed to defy the Roman Emperor, Frederick I. Frederick I desired power to rule all of Italy, therefore this League was formed to prevent this from happening. The league played a very big role in Italy’s politics. From the eleventh to thirteenth century Milan was involved in many battles and was greatly affected by this. Milan assisted in defeating Frederick I at Legnano in 1176. Peace of Constance 1183 was then purposed. It States that Frederick I agrees to leave the city -states alone.

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif;">Milan is a very productive city. It consists of many shops, buildings, libraries, schools and study centers. It was very involved in trade. Great imports and exports were shipped in and out of Milan. Trade contributed to Milam’s economy. There was a good balance between work and pleasure. People would work and provide for their family but would also have some time to go to the theatre. The theatre played a big part during this time period in Milan. Milan was very strategic. The people who had the plague sealed their houses. This decreased the chance of spreading the disease.

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif;">During the Renaissance there was a high military command in the Italian City States. There was a lot of conflict between the urban societies. There was a lot of fighting going on between the city- states. They fought over control of trade routes, access to seaports, and territorial expansion. By the fourteenth century, mercenary troops were hired to decrease this conflict. The Italian condottiero Francesco Sforza hired mercenaries to defend the city from outside danger.

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif; font-size: 150%;">**//<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Florence, Italy //** <span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif;">Florence was one of the many Italian-city states in the medieval times. Florence was a city of industry, culture, science, trade, and craft. During the Medieval time period, the majority of Florence’s social classes were divided among small nobles and rich merchants. Even though they were never in agreement about Florence’s leadership, it did not stop Florence from prospering. Florence also faced economic depression and plague and as always the lower class suffered the most during these times. This plague caused death to about fifty thousand people in Florence causing a major decline in their population. With their government, they had their people or “popolo” into guilds. Popolo Grasso or translated into “fat people” were the high class people. People of lower class were referred to as popolo minuto or “little people.” <span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;"><span style="font-family: 'times new roman',serif;">Dante Alighieri was born in 1265. He studied philosophy and theology. He soon began to study politics and became a priore within 5 years. A priore is a type of governor. Flippo Brunlleshi was born in Florence in 1377. He studied architecture and in 1418 he was commissioned to build the dome of the gothic cathedral of Florence also known as the duomo. During the medieval times, everyone was against Florence and always was willing to fight with them claiming they were more victorious than others. The first commune was established in Florence and run by 100 assembly men.

<span style="font-family: 'times new roman',times,serif;">The 12th and 14th centuries of Florence were very difficult because of the disagreements between the guelphs and the ghivellins. The guelphs supported the Pope and the ghivellins supported the Emperor. After the guelphs and the ghivellins spilt a huge problem arose for the Italian-City States. Although some people say that the disagreement between these two parties would weaken the government and society, there really was no weakening of either but instead an alliance of the commune and the popolo. This time of feud later lead to a time of prosperity for Florence in the sense of economy. During the 15th and 16th centuries, Florence was known as the “cradle of the Renaissance.”