Italian Revolutions

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

as the Visconti and later the Sforza 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.
Other city-states had a form of republicanism, such as Florence and Venice did. In these cities, a group of upper class families controlled the government, and often looked down upon the common residents of the town, considering them to be inferior. A Venetian observer wrote about Florence during this time:
�They are never content with their constitution, they are never quiet, and it seems that this city always desires change of constitution as so the government changes every fifteen years�
In Florence, which is perhaps considered the ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

literary style, but considered guides to the understanding of life. The first and most recognized pioneers of humanism were Petrarch and Giovanni Boccaccio.
Petrarch became known for his poetry, which can be described, like all humanistic writing, to be very realistic, critical, and more often than not satirical. Petrarach�s style is close to those of the classical authors he studied, expressing his view accurately through the use of characters. He once said of his writing, � The style is the man.� His most famous contributions to the world of literature are his string of sonnets addressed to �Laura�, who appears as a real person, rather than a religious symbol, as in most European ...

Succeed in your coursework without stepping into a library. Get access to a growing library of notes, book reports, and research papers in 2 minutes or less.

CITE THIS PAGE: