The main secular ingredient to a nation's success is money. Just as the heart pumps blood, buying and selling puts the money into circulation. Money is used to acquire possessions and education, and to employ gifted or educated people who either invent things or devise better ways to do business. This also creates more jobs. This in turn puts more money into circulation.
There would have been no Renaissance without rich merchants and bankers. Those who were affluent and had the goodness of heart along with their wealth did things like support the arts and science, and were benefactors to inventors and built beautiful buildings.
Affluent merchants and bankers were always available to lend money to the barons and monarchs. But along with the quest for personal gain, they also paid for the adornment of churches and gave to the community. City governments also financed the raising of public buildings and the adorning of their churches.
An example of a merchant's altruism can be found in Sir Richard Whittington. This merchant money-lender (and also three-time Lord Mayor of London) of the late 14th to the early 15th century did such things as lend money to his kings, provide money for public buildings and establish a hospital and a college.
The Fugger family dynasty of Augsburg, Germany, which lasted from about 1450-1600, eventually became banking giants. The brothers Ulrich, George and Jacob, were not only patrons of the arts, but also gave 106 dwellings of buildings and furnishings to the poverty stricken.
In Italy the government, guilds, churches and wealthy individuals had supported the arts since the 13th century. Leonardo Da Vinci, Botticelli and Michelangelo and other leading artists were hired to work on the Vatican and design St. Peter's Cathedral.
In15th century Milan, Francesco Sforza founded a hospital and extended irrigation canals. Sforza and his son Ludovico Il Moro gathered for themselves artists and intellectuals including Leonardo Da Vinci. Leonardo had titles such as "Minister of Fine Arts", "Director of Public Works" and "Master of the Revels". After this banking family lost its power, Da Vinci sought patronage from Caesar Borgia (who is recorded in history as being more ruthless than most despots), the pope and French kings Louis XII and Francis I.
The most famous bankers were of the Medici family of Florence, beginning with Cosimo Medici in the early 15th century. Cosimo built and furnished churches and chapels, and also built his own palace and summer residences. He collected and copied manuscripts and was a patron of art and literature, supporting artists, architects and the erudite.
His grandson Lorenzo was a supporter of architects, musicians and poets, the painter Botticelli among them. Founded a college at Pisa and gathered the best professors in Italy.
Michelangelo Buonarotti was briefly supported by Lorenzo, and was also supported by several Popes. Lorenzo also sponsored expeditions to the Americas for by Amerigo Vespucci (1484-1499).
Titian, who was also a painter, had many benefactors. European merchants, despots, popes, monarchs and governments all supported him.
Painters from Germany and Brussels also benefited from the rich and powerful in the northern countries. Albrecht Dürer, Hans Holbein and Pieter Breughel the Elder were the most famous of the northern artists who had patrons.
Musicians also had their sponsors, and were supported by the church and also performed in the courts of the wealthy.