The Renaissance, meaning "Rebirth", started in Italy and gradually spread throughout Europe. Italy was at the center of a period of influential creativity. There was a renewal of interest in the classical works of Greece and Rome, which inspired news ways of looking at the world. Merchants were a very essential part of the Renaissance. They were able to offer a wide variety of merchandise people hadn't even heard of before. Merchants lived very comfortable lives since their profession did extremely well. All over Europe merchants were the most powerful people in the land, even higher than royalty.

The feudal system had greatly limited trade in the Middle Ages, since there was little incentive for a serf to produce more than what was needed for his own and his lord's consumption. As the demand for exotic products from far away places grew, so did the demand for merchants...