Changes

The city was the most important commercial center in Italy, although it had competitors such as Amalfi and later Genoa. The city after the Crusades and the capture of Byzantium were was the major commercial power in the region. The trade of Venice helped to create the prosperity that was essential for the Renaissance.  The ‘Serene Republic’ and its fleet of trading ships allowed Italian states to export their wares and products. This meant that it not Not only did the city grow wealthy, but it greatly boosted the economy of other Italian Republics and for . For example, allowed Florentine clothiers to could export their cloth to Northern Europe and the Levant. The wealth that was produced by Venice and its trade routes was essential in the fostering of the urban milieu that was so important for the development of Civic Humanism .<ref> Norwich, p 114</ref>.  More importantly, the profits generated by Venice traders for Italian merchants and rulers, allowed them to become patrons of the arts. Without this great artists’ such as Michelangelo and others would not have been able to create their masterpieces. Venice commercial links were crucial in the development of the Renaissance.  Moreover, the demands of long-distance trade meant that the Venetians had to develop sophisticated financial instruments and progressive business regulations. This was These developments were immensely beneficial to the city and its merchants’, but they were also imitated by other Italian Republicsquickly imitated them. This Venice's wealth helped to foster the economic conditions that promoted the cultural and artistic flourishing of the Renaissance.