Beginning in about 1300, many sumptuary laws prohibiting conspicuous consumption and luxurious lifestyles were adopted throughout the northern Italian city-states. Between 1299 and 1499, forty-two different sumptuary statutes were adopted in Venice, sixty-one in Florence (between 1281 and 1497), nineteen in Genoa (1157 to 1484), and five in Milan (1343 to 1498). The intent of the laws is clearly revealed by these excerpts from their preambles:
