City States of Italy

What do you understand by the term city states? How they were governed?

1. City States were common features in Italy during the 12th While Europe was reshaping under the feudal system the Italian cities were opened to trade with Islamic cities and later after Mongols were connected with east through the silk route.

2. Italian city states were not defined by land relations of feudal economy. These city states were independent small cities governed by princes with the help of

3. a council of citizen. Contarini in his book gives a detail account of governing council of the Florence city state.

4. The council was comprised of rich traders and influential citizens although poor and women were not eligible to take part in the governing council.