At the beginning of the Renaissance, Italy was divided into some 250 self- governing city-states, ranging from small towns of 2,000 individuals, to some of the largest cities in Europe of that time, such as Florence, Milan, and Venice, each with 100,000 citizens each. These city-states were loosely organized under the Pope, ruling out of Rome, although he had no real political control over the divided Italy.

During the mid- 1300s and early 1400s, many large Italian cities came under the control of one family, such as the Visconti and later the Sf

In Florence, which is perhaps considered the most important center of Renaissance learning in history, the Medici family dominated the ruling class. Under Medici domination, Florence became a signorial power and a cultural gemstone. It was during the reign of Lorenzo de' Medici, that many great painters, sculptors, and architects flocked to the Medici family looking for sponsorship, knowing that Lorenzo was a great supporter of the arts. It was at this point, during the 1430s, which the Renaissance, and many of its core philosophies, truly began to take off in Italy.

Giovanni Boccacio studied and wrote at about the same time as Petrarch, is best known for his masterpiece Decameron, which consists of 100 stories organized to give the impression of a total view of society. Like Petrarch, he gave accurate depictions of real life characters and situations. He described a group of men and women fleeing from a plague infested Florence to the countryside. In seclusion, they hold story telling sessions that tie into Boccacio's own view of society.

orza families in Milan. The form of government established by the ruling families of the various Italian cities came to be known as signoria, with the chief official being called the signore. Soon, elaborate court systems, controlled by the ruling families, began to spring up in each city-state. At these courts, leading artists, intellectuals, and politicians gathered under the sponsorship of the signore and families.

Michealangelo is known as probably the greatest artist of the Renaissance, excelling in painting, poetry, sculpture, and architecture. Michealangelo was well known for capturing the essence of the human body, an achievement well sought after in the Renaissance. The list of his achievements is endless, although he is most recognized for painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, his infamous statue of David, and The Last Judgement, a painting so powerful, that an observer at the unveiling claimed the Pope fell to his knees and began to pray. Rapheal was most noted for his definition of perspective and complicated use of color. One of his greatest works, School of Athens, shows a humanistic influence of classical Greek and Roman models, showing a group of Greek philosophers studying about a group of stone pillars. He is also famous for his superbly detailed paintings of Madonnas; his most revered being The Small Cowper Madonna.

Another development in the field of humanism was the courtier system, which was influenced by the interaction between humanist philosophers and the signorial courts of the city-states. These humanists began to develop ideas about the proper conduct of courtiers, or the noble men and women of the courts. In 1518, Baldassare Castiglione, the most renowned humanist involved with the court

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Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)