Medici was an Italian political dynasty. The family originated in the Mugello region of Tuscany. The Medici's political power increased until they came to rule Florence - though officially they were just ordinary citizens rather than monarchs.
Its wealth and influence initially derived from the textile trade that passed through the Arte della Lana guild. Initially they were one of the families that dominated the city government of Florence, and were able to bring it fully under their family power, enabling an environment where art and humanism could flourish. They fostered and inspired the birth of the Italian Renaissance, along with other families from Italy, such as the Visconti and Sforza of Milan, the East of Ferrara, and the Gonzaga of Mantua.
The House of Medici was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century.
The gold mines of West Africa provided great wealth and power to West African Empires such as Ghana, Mali, & Songhai empire. The king of Ghana started trading back in the 8th century.
