At it's height, in the fifteenth century the House of Medici was the most prominent banking family in Europe. Originally a cloth producer, the Medicis gained great power in commerce, real estate and finance that spread throughout northern Italy, France, and even into England. The Medici family's power declined after …

The Hanseatic League was formed in the thirteenth century. Several German coastal towns, including L"ubeck, Hamburg, and Bremen formed a commercial and military league to obtain commercial breaks and to protect themselves from pirates. The League grew rapidly and by 1500 it had grown to as many as eighty …

1265- 1321 - Dante was a Florentine noble who was exiled from his political office. Dante is well known for his work the Divine Comedy which he wrote between 1313- 1321, while in exile. Dante's work depicts the progression of a soul through the process of salvation.

1377- After determining that a decline in papal authority was due, at least in part, to an Avignon Papacy , Pope Gregory XI returned the seat of papal power to Rome. Unfortunately, in 1378 Gregory died, resulting in a new struggle for papal power. Many Roman cardinals feared that the powerful …

1305- 1377 - Continuing his bid to quell papal power, Philip IV pressured French cardinals to elect a French pope in the wake of the death of Bonifice VIII. Clement~V, 1305- 1314 was elected and moved the seat of the Papacy to Avignon, southern France, citing political turmoil in Rome …

1302 -- The Unam Sanctam was letter or "papal bull" written by Boniface~VIII to assert his authority to control taxation of the clergy. Boniface wrote that "if earthly power errs, it shall be judged by spiritual power," with the obvious implication that Popes supersede kings in all matters.