Buddy Visits The Renaissance One Day, Buddy The Elf...

Buddy Visits the Renaissance One day, Buddy the elf walked into Santa’s workshop, bored and looking for an adventure. â€Å"Hey Buddy! Do you want to take a trip back in time to the Renaissance?† said Santa. Buddy excitedly asked, â€Å"What’s the Renaissance?† â€Å"Well, starting in the fourteenth century, there was a great change that began in Florence, Italy. I’ll send you there and you can explore it yourself!† *picture of buddy waking up in Florence, Italy* Surprised by all the markets, people, and trading, Buddy looked around at all the advanced art and architecture, and realized that he was witnessing the Commercial Revolution. After the series of Holy Wars called the Crusades, trade through the Mediterranean increased. This led to the spread of ideas and inventions between Europe and the Islamic Empire. As different cultures were mixing, the growth of a new world started, also known as the Commercial Revolution. The combination of many inventors’ work from different parts of the world during this time resulted in the Renaissance. Caught up in all the action, he turned around to find a man asking how many gold coins his hat costs. Unfamiliar with the banking system, the man, named Michelangelo, explained to Buddy that banks in Florence and other neighboring cities gave loans to traders and merchants. â€Å"Before I traveled here from Rome, I gave the banker some of my gold, and in return, he gave me a Bill of Exchange. That way it was safer and easier to come trade my