. A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools. eld the Golden East in fee. The beauty of the palaces ofher merchant princes has become traditional. In 1450, she wasby all odds the wealthiest, the most luxurious, the most formid-able city in Europe. Her rival in wealth was inland Florence. Banking and manu-facturing had made Florence powerful. Her government wasmore democratic than that of Venice; her history is a long story 1 The numerous and strictly observed fast days of the mediaeval Church madethe trade in fish relatively more important than it is to-day. 2 See p. 14. TH
. A history of mediaeval and modern Europe for secondary schools. eld the Golden East in fee. The beauty of the palaces ofher merchant princes has become traditional. In 1450, she wasby all odds the wealthiest, the most luxurious, the most formid-able city in Europe. Her rival in wealth was inland Florence. Banking and manu-facturing had made Florence powerful. Her government wasmore democratic than that of Venice; her history is a long story 1 The numerous and strictly observed fast days of the mediaeval Church madethe trade in fish relatively more important than it is to-day. 2 See p. 14. THE RISE OF THE NON-XOBLE CLASSES 149 of chic feuds, revolutions, banishments, returns of exiles,conspiracies. About 1434, she fell under the control (at firstpurely unofficial) of the famous Medici family (originallybankers) who governed in the main with skill and was the strongest power in North Central Italy, buther true title to fame was not her riches or her valiant was the birthplace of poets, artists, and scholars, who. TRADE ROUTES AND COMMERCIAL CITIES have made their native city almost a rival of Athens in hercontributions to 78. The revival of commerce and industry. In the later Mid-dle Ages, despite bad roads, bad inns, bad bridges,2 bandits 1 Mention might also be made in this age of Genoa, a proud naval and com-mercial republic, that almost distanced Venice in the struggle for maritimesupremacy, but at the last test failed. 2 The mediaeval bridges were in the average so bad and perilous that we i5o HISTORY OF EUROPE and robber knights, commerce was again reviving. Spices,carpets, silks, and Damascus steel weapons were importedfrom the Orient. The merchant vessels began feeling their wayalong the coast, and as ships became larger and stancher, theircaptains grew bolder. From Venice or Genoa a considerablecaravan trade also found its way over the Alps, to Lyons inFrance, or to the German Augsburg or Nuremberg, which
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