Renaissance Blooms in Florence

The Renaissance began in Tuscany and centered on the city of Florence, whose republic rose to economic and political prominence by providing credit to European monarchs and by laying the groundwork for developments in capitalism and banking. Florence became one of the wealthiest cities of Northern Italy, mainly due to its woolen textile production. The Medici became the town's leading family, and Cosimo de' Medici was an important patron of the arts, directly and indirectly, by the influential example he set. The word renaissance defines the period as one of cultural revival and renewed interest in classical antiquity, a narrative that modern scholars have objected to, citing the medieval period's own vibrancy. Italian Renaissance art had a dominant influence on later European painting and sculpture, with artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Donatello and Botticelli. Italy renewed contact with the remains of ancient Greek culture, which provided humanist scholars with new texts.