After the Crusades, many Europeans were exposed to spices and silk that crusaders brought back from the Middle East. The Italian city-states were well situated in the Mediterranean Sea between the East and the West. This was a prime location to access the goods. As a result, the Italian city-states made vast fortunes from this lucrative trade. The money city-states earned from trade allowed them to develop a modern banking system to handle the volume of trade. The wealth the banking families made supported the kings and the papacy, which gave bankers and merchants power. This power could influence the government in northern Italy and throughout Europe. Which of the following statements provides the best textual evidence that supports how politics and economic changes during the Renaissance impacted Europe?
