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| | Backgrounds to the Italian Renaissance |
 | | By the beginning of the Renaissance, there were five major players in city-state politics: the Papal States (or Romagna) ruled by the Pope, the republics of Firenze (Florence) and Venezia (Venice), the kingdom of Napoli (Naples), and the duchy of Milano (Milan). |
 | | At the instigation of Ferdinand of Aragon, King of Sicily and Spain, the League of Venice was formed in 1495 consisting of Spain, Sicily, Venezia, the Papal States, and the Holy Roman Empire. |
 | | It isn't entirely an exaggeration to conclude that the growth of the Papal States in the High Renaissance was one of the direct causes of the European Reformation. |
| www.wsu.edu:8080 /~dee/REN/BACK.HTM (2870 words) |
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