During the 13th Century W ool commerce has created wealthy guilds and has constituted money into a means of exchange.
Italian banks handle the wealth of Europe.
Few families benefit from this situation and they fight for power. As a consequence, during the 13th century, unrest is present in Italy because of permanent wars among the city-states while people's misery is also made worse by epidemic illnesses. T he catholic church looses prestige when the Pope, after being humiliated several times, falls under the French tutelage and the Holy See is sought by three Popes. T hese changes open new horizons and develop new values, product of experimentation. They also favor a deep evolution of art which had been governed, up to this time, by the Byzantine and Gothic canons.