Board Thread:Timeline Discussions/@comment-4923787-20130202175501/@comment-32656-20130530005329

The otl HRE did form in the north. And what I said before was that it's possible for some sort of German Kingdom, with more or less the same problems as the otl HRE, to form.

Italy was like that otl.

Italy would not survive.

No, their neighbors would not be interested in that.

Not necessarily leave, but they certainly would not be favored.

Far too late.

That is a single, small, aspect of the Renaissance - and quite frankly, not in the least bit a "cause."

It is generally considered that Florence just had some sort of "perfect storm" and it spread from there. Basically, all it needed to happen was certain conditions to be met. Would have happened somewhere eventually.

The Byzantines did more or less lose Italy to the Lombards.