1.  5 major states – MILAN VENICE FLORENCE PAPAL STATES NAPLES

2.  MILAN – the Visconti and the Sforza  VENICE – maritime republic, commercial empire, ruled by merchant oligarchy  FLORENCE – a republic in name, but in the 15 th cent was dominated by the Medicis  PAPAL STATES – central Italy, under the shaky control of the Pope  NAPLES – southern Italy and Sicily, fought over by the French and Spanish FRANCESCO SFORZA – DUKE OF MILAN

3.  MANTUA – ruled by the Gonzaga family  FERRARA – ruled by the d’Este family  URBINO – ruled by the Montefeltro family  Isabella d’Este – 1. married into Gonzaga family of Mantua 2. famous ruling women of the Ren. 3. educated, cultured, good politician

4.  BALANCE OF POWER = prevent any one state from becoming more powerful than others  First practiced among city- states in Renaissance  Peace of Lodi – ended half century of fighting between the Italian city-states  Italy was divided/weaker than neighbors -> becomes battle ground between France and Spain

5.  Ambassador = permanent resident diplomatic agent sent to another country to represent the diplomat’s county  Started during the Italian Ren  Marks the start of modern diplomacy and international politics

6. “IT IS BETTER TO BE FEARED THAN LOVED”

7.  Machiavelli was a Florentine govt official  Author of THE PRINCE 1513  Study on political power  Acquisition and expansion of political power to maintain order and stability  Rejected the ethical concepts of the medieval view of politics  Realism  Human nature -> self centered -> ruler must act without regard to morality and ethics -> the key is to strengthen the state not do what is “good”