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Economic Decline
Until 1500 Italy was at the centre of the Mediterranean world and its vast network of trade routes. Italian traders made vast profits by acting as middlemen in the trade between the Muslim and Christian worlds. Furthermore, the Italian clothing industry exported its goods all over the Mediterranean <ref> ibid, p. 134 #.</ref>.The riches made enabled the elite to fund the work of great artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael. However, after Columbus discovered America, the Mediterranean economy went into a steep decline . New trade routes were established in the Atlantic and the trade of the Mediterranean dropped off. This led to less money being spent on art in Italy <ref> Lopez, Robert Sabatino, The Three Ages of the Italian Renaissance Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1970., p. 89 #.</ref>. Although, the Pope’s still continued to be great patrons of the arts . The relative decline in the Italian economy, because of changing trade routes, because of the Discovery of America, led to less money being spent on the arts and education. This had a negative impact on the Renaissance and fewer great works of art and literature <ref> ibid, p. 98 #.</ref> .
Spanish Domination
The Italian city-states were very rich but also vulnerable to their larger neighbours. The kingdoms of Europe were becoming national states, with a unified government and standing armies. By the 16th century, the Italian city-states looked much weaker that large kingdoms such as France. In the 1490s, the French invaded Italy, in order to conquer the kingdom of Naples. The Spanish Monarchy refused to allow the French to dominate southern Italy <ref> ibid, p 67 #.</ref>.
