Portrait of Niccolò Machiavelli by Santi di Tito

The concept of the Renaissance describes a dramatic rebirth of civilization in Western Europe. After the Black Death and the Crusades, Europeans wanted to celebrate life and prosper from exotic goods originating in foreign lands. The Italian city-states were perfectly located, and served as a link between the rest of Europe and the Middle East and Asia. An Italian merchant class arose to meet the changing needs, and dominated these areas politically. Several ruling families took charge of the political structures in these city-states, but none so famous as the Medici family in Florence. Inspired by these political rulers, Niccolò Machiavelli wrote The Prince, a political treatise on how to be a good and powerful leader.