I was travelling and ruminating last weekend and began to wonder, which was more causative, the weaponization of gunpowder or the increasing power of the merchant class.

The weapons theory is based upon the concept that, as more weapons got into private hands, power would have shifted from the church and nobility to those who were willing to resist them. Roving bands of freelance soldiers got to be better armed around this time, also.

The merchant theory relates to the idea that, in order to supply the needs of the church and nobility, the merchants acquired more freedom to travel and trade. As they were not tied to the land and lived in the towns, both they and the towns became more independent of the power of the upper classes. This freedom would have required both artist and other specialists to meet the needs of those around them.