Italian Renaissance Courts: Art, Pleasure and Power (Renaissance Art)

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In architecture, Filippo Brunelleschi was foremost in studying the remains of ancient classical buildings. Likewise, the position of Italian cities such as Venice as great trading centres made them intellectual crossroads.

Another popular explanation for the Italian Renaissance is the thesis, first advanced by historian Hans Baron, [24] that states that the primary impetus of the early Renaissance was the long-running series of wars between Florence and Milan. The unique political structures of Italy during the Late Middle Ages have led some to theorize that its unusual social climate allowed the emergence of a rare cultural efflorescence. This legacy was continued by a number of expatriate Greek scholars, from Basilios Bessarion to Leo Allatius.Italian explorers from the maritime republics served under the auspices of European monarchs, ushering in the Age of Discovery. The most notable example was Leonardo da Vinci, who left for France in 1516, but teams of lesser artists invited to transform the Château de Fontainebleau created the School of Fontainebleau that infused the style of the Italian Renaissance in France.

He launched a long series of wars, with Milan steadily conquering neighbouring states and defeating the various coalitions led by Florence that sought in vain to halt the advance. The Decameron in particular and Boccaccio's work, in general, were a major source of inspiration and plots for many English authors in the Renaissance, including Geoffrey Chaucer and William Shakespeare. Venice, one of the wealthiest cities due to its control of the Adriatic Sea, also became a centre for Renaissance culture, especially Venetian Renaissance architecture.This work of translation from Islamic culture, though largely unplanned and disorganized, constituted one of the greatest transmissions of ideas in history.

Lorenzo continued the alliance with Milan, but relations with the papacy soured, and in 1478, Papal agents allied with the Pazzi family in an attempt to assassinate Lorenzo.

Venice was Europe's gateway to trade with the East, and a producer of fine glass, while Florence was a capital of textiles.