Economy: Naples was not gifted with an overabundance of valuable natural resources, however, due to its key location on the coast of Italy, the city became very wealthy from Mediterranean trade.
Disputes Over Rule: Naples, which was occasionally united with Sicily, was subject to many invasions throughout its history, particularly so during the renaissance. It was conquered by the Angevin Dynasty in 1266, but they were disliked by the locals, and were ultimately thrown out of Sicily in 1306, after a conflict known as The War of the Sicilian Vespers, although Naples itself remained in the hands of the Angevin.
After rule of the city changed hands several more times, it finally came to rest in those of Alfonso of Aragon in 1442, who united Naples with Sicily and the rest of the Aragonese Dynasty. While it lasted, this time fostered exponential growth of the arts and scholarship in Naples.
Naples was once again conquered by the Angevin Dynasty in 1495, but they were driven out once again after only 3 months due to the locals' distaste for them.
The Aragonese Dynasty eventually drove the Angevins out of Naples permanently in 1504, and maintained their rule over the city for over 2 centuries. Links: Some of Naple's inhabitants: http://lovinovargasrenaissance.weebly.com/
Sources: "Naples." The Greenhaven Encyclopedia of The Renaissance. Tom Streissguth. Ed. Konrad Eisenbichler. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. 225-226. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Sept. 2013.
"A Divided Italy: Home of the Renaissance." Renaissance and Reformation Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, Peggy Saari, and Aaron Saari. Vol. 1: Vol.1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2002. 45-89. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 23 Sept. 2013.