5.4.1 New industries The city of Florence played a leading role in the development of the Renaissance and has been described as ‘the cradle of the Renaissance’. It was a busy trading city, with many people and products passing through each day. In the fifteenth century, Florence had a population of 60 000. Florence is located on the banks of the river Arno, which was important for the cloth industry. The city, surrounded by walls, controlled much of the surrounding countryside. The city made use of its local produce, such as oil and grain, to feed the population, and provided work for people from the nearby villages. Previously, wealth had been based almost entirely on land ownership. However, during the Renaissance, the main sources of wealth were banking, trade, craft goods and cloth manufacturing. Individual experience varied greatly in the republic. In the fifteenth century the wool industry employed over 30 000 workers. Many of these workers were so poor that they were classified as miserabili because they owned so little that they paid no tax. Many of the jobs in the wool and silk industries were low-paid, difficult and unpleasant jobs. For example, one part of the manufacturing process involved stamping on the wool in large vats containing urine. On the other hand, the merchants who owned the cloth became very wealthy from the profits. 5.4.2 A guild government Unlike some city states in Italy, Florence was not ruled by one individual — it was a republic. In Florence there were many councils, each with a separate role. In 1293, a new law called the Ordinances of Justice changed the rules about who could participate in government. To be eligible to vote or have a position in the political bodies, you had to be male, a citizen, a taxpayer and a member of a guild ; therefore, nobles were officially excluded. In Florence during the Renaissance there were seven major and 14 minor guilds divided according to profession. Despite its republican institutions, most of the Florentine population were excluded from guild membership and therefore the political system. 5.4.3 The popolo grasso and the popolo minuto As we have seen, the benefits of economic developments and political representation were not enjoyed by all groups in Florentine society. The Florentines described wealthy merchants and businesspeople as popolo grasso (the fat people) and the operators of small shops and merchants as popolo minuto or small people. In 1378, a group of wool carders called Ciompi protested at their high taxes and low wages, which had forced some workers out of their homes. Significant numbers of labourers had moved from the surrounding villages into the city and had become indebted to their employers due to forced loans. The Ciompi were amongst those who accounted for 22 per cent of the population, but had no political representation. The group, which included other occupations such as shopkeepers, demanded the creation of three new guilds. Their creation resulted in a more representative government, with a wool carder, Michele di Lando, elected Gonfaloniere of Justice, a role similar to the that of the chief magistrate of state. However, the guilds only lasted for three and a half years and were dissolved in 1382, with a return to oligarchical government.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator