Question

can someone please shorten or paraphrase this peice of text in history for me please?

Answer 1

Milan, a city located on the plains in the northern part of Italy, gained a reputation as the most aggressive of the Italian city-states. It was ruled by the Visconti family and then the Sforza family. While they were strong and often cruel rulers, they formed Milan into one of the most powerful and wealthy of the city-states.

Milan was a strong military force and conquered most of northern Italy. The army very nearly conquered Florence as well. However, under the rule of Francesco Sforza, Milan and Florence joined together against the expansion of Venice. Sforza and Cosimo de Medici established a friendship that would maintain a balance of power between them in the north and keep the mountain passes open for the use of traders from Florence. The two leaders signed the Peace of Lodi in 1454 CE, which established their borders.

Milan would also be known for its support of the arts. Lodovico il Moro, who ruled Milan in 1480 CE, supported the artist Leonardo da Vinci for almost 20 years. He also created ambitious building plans for canals and irrigation and encouraged framers to grow new crops such as rice.

The fifth city-state, Naples, was the farthest south. Its farmland was poor, and yet the region’s economy was almost entirely based on agriculture. Naples had never really moved out of the feudal system. It was ruled by a few incredibly wealthy nobles, and most of the peasants lived in terrible poverty. Most of the finance and commerce of Naples was actually handled by men from cities like Florence, so Naples did not have the professional middle class that the other city-states did.

However, Naples became a foothold for foreign powers in Italy. In 1442 CE, Naples was conquered by Alfonso of Aragon, from the Spanish royal family. Alfonso tried to use his position to further the interests of merchants from Catalonia in his home kingdom. Catalonia was becoming a large commercial power to rival the Italian city-states, and Alfonso wanted to acquire more territory along the Italian coast as a way to compete with cities like Venice and Florence. However, Alfonso also supported building, the arts, and education. He founded a university and a school for Greek studies.

Answer 2

What is the main information you need out of this text?