Why did the renaissance start in Florence?

Answer 1

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Florence was one of the wealthiest areas in Italy during the Renaissance. (That entire area actually was.) It was also a MAJOR trade route because of it's geographic location, and it was a very active commerce center. (The manufacture of woolen cloth alone was a large revenue source in Florence as this was a material highly in demand)

Those factors worked in conjunction with the rise of Roman Catholicism in the region to build a robust political climate where change and new ideas could flourish. (Probably a reason why a lot of Renaissance art you see, especially early work, is religious in theme.) Also, the feudal system began to come to an end, giving people more freedom and independence which also helped them focus on building wealth and patronize the arts. (Remember that painters, sculptors back them usually commissioned and did not "do art for art's sake" primarily.)

The Medici family was also a major force at play here. They were a banking family and based in Florence and huge patrons of the arts so they alone helped to stimulate a lot of the artistic culture there.

Hope that helps! :)

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Answer 2

It has long been a matter of debate why the Renaissance began in Florence, and not elsewhere in Italy. Scholars have noted several features unique to Florentine cultural life which may have caused such a cultural movement. Many have emphasized the role played by the Medici family in patronizing and stimulating the arts. Lorenzo de' Medici devoted huge sums to commissioning works from Florence's leading artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, and Michelangelo Buonarroti.[5]

The Renaissance was certainly already underway before Lorenzo came to power; indeed, before the Medici family itself achieved hegemony in Florentine society. Some historians have postulated that Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance as a result of luck, i.e. because "Great Men" were born there by chance.[25] Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo were all born in Tuscany. Arguing that such chance seems improbable, other historians have contended that these "Great Men" were only able to rise to prominence because of the prevailing cultural conditions at the time.[26]

There is a general — though by no means unchallenged — consensus that the Renaissance began in Tuscany in the fourteenth century. Various theories have been proposed to account for its origins and characteristics, focusing on a variety of factors, including the social and civic peculiarities of Florence at this time, its political structure, and the patronage of its dominant family, the Medici. The Renaissance received a major boost in the 15th century, when the Fall of Constantinople and the closing of its university by the Ottoman Turks forced thousands of Greek scholars to flee to Italy bringing with them the majority of the texts of Hellenic and Roman literature and law, that survive today.

Source(s):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance