A History of Modern Europe - From the Renaissance to the Present

The City-States of the Italian Peninsula 51

Map 2.2 City-States in Renaissance Italy, 1494 The city-state was the

fundamental political unit of the Italian peninsula; the number of city-states was

reduced as many of them were absorbed by the more powerful city-states.

or families running the government) of each city improved the effective­
ness of state administration. Thus, Florence and Venice had special com­
mittees responsible for foreign affairs and commerce. Many offices were
sold or filled by members of the leading families linked by marriages. Per­
sonal relations between powerful families, for example, between the
Medicis and the Sforza, facilitated diplomacy. The Medici engaged finan­
cial specialists for the management of the fiscal policies of their city and
their family, although the latter, to the detriment of Florence, almost