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What conditions in Italy during the 15th and 16th centuries enabled the Renaissance to flourish?

Italy in the 15th century was unique in comparison to other European nations like France or Great Britain, which were united under one monarch and divided into strict class systems.  Under these class systems it was virtually impossible to increase your wealth or social status, since the classes had strictly assigned roles. 


Italy, however, was instead divided into independent, self-governing “city-states.”  The Renaissance began in one such city-state, the independent republic of Florence, where the merchants and traders were wealthy and powerful. This was much different than other European nations where the noble classes ruled and subjugated the lower classes. Florentines had much more freedom, due to the republican form of government (as opposed to a monarchy) and because the absence of a feudal system allowed more upward mobility in terms of wealth and social status.  The wealthiest Florentines would flaunt their money and power through “patronage,” meaning that they provided support to artists and intellectuals.  This attracted cultured, creative and smart people to Florence in droves, and provided an environment where new ideas and new technology would thrive.  Florence soon became a commercial and cultural center of Europe and is considered the birth-place of the Renaissance.

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