How did Italy come to be ruled by wealthy merchants and families during the Renaissance?

Probably the largest and best known family would be the De Medici family. The family produced three popes (Leo X, Clement VII, and Leo XI), numerous rulers of Florence (notably Lorenzo the Magnificent, patron of some of the most famous works of Renaissance art), and later members of the French and English royalty. Like other Signore families they dominated their city's government. They were able to bring Florence under their family's power, allowing for an environment where art and humanism could flourish. They led the birth of the Italian Renaissance along with the other great signore families of Italy like the Visconti and Sforza families of Milan, the Este of Ferrara, the Gonzaga of Mantua, and others. The Medici Bank was one of the most prosperous and most respected in Europe. There are some estimates that[citation needed] the Medici family was, for a period of time, the wealthiest family in Europe. From this base, the family acquired political power initially in Florence, and ...  more