Guilds: the Original Ruling Class

After the Guelph triumph in the 13th century and the exile of the Grandi (or nobles) from politics, Florence was governed by an oligarchy of guilds, or arti.

There were 21 arti, including the Arti Minori (the 'lesser trades') and the Arti Medianae (the 'middle trades') but political power lay in the hands of members of the seven elite guilds, the Arti Maggiori: the lawyers, the Arte dei Giudici e Notai; the great textile merchants, the Arte della Lana (wool) the Arte di Por Santa Maria (silk) and the Arte de Calimala (cloth); the bankers, the Arte del Cambio; the doctors, apothecaries, and spice sellers, the Arte dei Medici, Speziali e Merciai, and the leather and fur dealers, the Arte dei Vaccai e Pellicciai.