Editing Ciompi Revolt (section)

===Unstable government===
In the years preceding the 1378 revolt, certain aspects of Florentine society set the stage for the uprising. Tensions within the [[oligarchy]] were already present decades before the revolt occurred.<ref name=fourteenth />{{rp|77}} The Arti Minori, or minor guilds, were constantly in contention with the Arti Maggiori, or the seven major guilds. Between the years of 1339 to 1349, wealthy houses went bankrupt and markets were reduced. The economy never peaked nor declined sharply again, aside from minor political and military disputes familiar to Florence.<ref name=fourteenth />{{rp|78}} Economic grievances had drawn artisans and wage-labourers into Florentine politics from the mid-fourteenth century. These workers, however, were forbidden from associating by city government.<ref name=najemy>Najemy, John M. ''A History of Florence''. Malden: Blackwell, 2008.</ref>{{rp|160}} The oligarchy was unstable, as many either died from [[Black Death|the plague]] or fled to safer territories.<ref name=fourteenth />{{rp|78}} From these turbulent times emerged the ''gente nuova'' ('new men') a class of mainly immigrants with no aristocratic background who grew their wealth from trade.<ref name=fourteenth />{{rp|79}} Together, the ''gente nuova'' and Arti Minori bonded over their dislike of the oligarchy. Each side sought to gain control over the other, as the oligarchy used the [[Guelphs and Ghibellines|Guelph Party]] to justify their patriciate status, while the ''gente nuova'' appealed to the middle and lower classes for support. In 1375 the ''gente nuova'' seriously challenged the privileges of the oligarchy, sparking concerns from the latter of their possible collapse. In addition, war broke out against the papacy in the same year, increasing the costly burdens on the city.<ref name=fourteenth />{{rp|80}} In late 1377 to early 1378, the oligarchy and the ''gente nuova'' formed a truce, only to be broken by the oligarchy in June, the month of the revolt.<ref name=fourteenth />{{rp|81}}