Politics
Politics was undoubtedly a key factor leading to Tuscan Florentine becoming the most dominant vernacular in ‘Italy’. At the beginning of the 13th century there were between 200 to 300 independent city-states (communes) in northern and central Italy. They were governed by counsils and officials who were elected by the citizens, variously defined. Citizens identified themselves with their commune and the sense of campanilismo (the tendency to have more of an allegiance to a home place) was predominant. For centuries there was no overarching political centre in what is now Italy and population movement from one city-state to another for permanent residence was relatively rare. City-states provided a favourable environment for vernacular …show more content…
Independent, powerful communes tend to be characterized by either one of these two features – landed wealth or commercial wealth. The prodigious economic growth of the communes was also dependant on the development of a proto-capitalist economy which was based on trade, banking and industrial production. Important figures of economy in these city-states were merchants and bankers, the merchants imported raw materials and exported value-added products while the bankers lent money both in Italy and abroad. Advances in commerce and banking, such as the concepts of credit, insurance, and bookkeeping, helped the development of this urbanized merchant class. Among this class the use of writing was important and necessary and we thus see how economy influenced the rise of vernaculars and thus the rise of Tuscan Florentine. Florence emerged as a leading city in Tuscany during this period. With the replacement of feudalism with capitalism Tuscany became the middleman of trade between the East and West. Within this emerging dominant force, experts were sought after who could read and write in the vernacular. They were wanted for commerce and banking reasons (no longer just for literary reasons or for reasons associated with high professions such as doctors or judges etc). Instead of Latin people now used their own vernacular, which in the case of Florence was Florentine. A renowned political strategist named Lorenzo 'Il Magnifico' assumed control of Florence in 1469 and utilized a network of banking and patronage arrangements as well as negotiating with other major powers in order to ensure political stability throughout Italy. We see the rising power attached to Florence as a city-stare in what is now Italy and we thus see how the rise of economic power within Florence influenced the increasing
Politics was undoubtedly a key factor leading to Tuscan Florentine becoming the most dominant vernacular in ‘Italy’. At the beginning of the 13th century there were between 200 to 300 independent city-states (communes) in northern and central Italy. They were governed by counsils and officials who were elected by the citizens, variously defined. Citizens identified themselves with their commune and the sense of campanilismo (the tendency to have more of an allegiance to a home place) was predominant. For centuries there was no overarching political centre in what is now Italy and population movement from one city-state to another for permanent residence was relatively rare. City-states provided a favourable environment for vernacular …show more content…
Independent, powerful communes tend to be characterized by either one of these two features – landed wealth or commercial wealth. The prodigious economic growth of the communes was also dependant on the development of a proto-capitalist economy which was based on trade, banking and industrial production. Important figures of economy in these city-states were merchants and bankers, the merchants imported raw materials and exported value-added products while the bankers lent money both in Italy and abroad. Advances in commerce and banking, such as the concepts of credit, insurance, and bookkeeping, helped the development of this urbanized merchant class. Among this class the use of writing was important and necessary and we thus see how economy influenced the rise of vernaculars and thus the rise of Tuscan Florentine. Florence emerged as a leading city in Tuscany during this period. With the replacement of feudalism with capitalism Tuscany became the middleman of trade between the East and West. Within this emerging dominant force, experts were sought after who could read and write in the vernacular. They were wanted for commerce and banking reasons (no longer just for literary reasons or for reasons associated with high professions such as doctors or judges etc). Instead of Latin people now used their own vernacular, which in the case of Florence was Florentine. A renowned political strategist named Lorenzo 'Il Magnifico' assumed control of Florence in 1469 and utilized a network of banking and patronage arrangements as well as negotiating with other major powers in order to ensure political stability throughout Italy. We see the rising power attached to Florence as a city-stare in what is now Italy and we thus see how the rise of economic power within Florence influenced the increasing