City-states
Venice, Milan, Florence, Genoa, Pisa, Siena, Lucca, and Cremona are all examples of Italian city-states. They became wealthy by being in the middle of Medieval trade routes. They taxed ports and florence from the wool trade.
Patrons of City-states
A patron is someone who buys art. They gained their power and influence through all of art that they bought. They also showed their wealth through the art that they bought. The Medci was a powerful and wealthy family that ruled that city of Florence. They gave a lot of money to artists, musicians, and intellectuals. They gave so much money away that they actually brought the city back to life.