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- Cosimo. The original “dark money” man. In the early 1400s, he strategically deployed the banking fortune he inherited to essentially buy politicians, popes, positions, and even marriages, becoming the de-facto ruler of Florence despite never holding office himself.
- Lorenzo. Cosimo’s grandson picked up the mantle of artistic patronage and ran with it even further. He created a sculpture garden and filled it with ancient statuary, which artists and poets came to study.
- Piero. The eldest son of Lorenzo, Piero had his work cut out for him. The fragile regional peace cobbled together by his father, largely through the force of his personality, crumbled soon after Lorenzo’s death in 1492.
- Giovanni (aka Pope Leo X) The younger brother of Piero, Giovanni was perhaps given the easier row to hoe. When he was 13, his father prevailed upon the pope (a distant relative) to make the boy a cardinal.
- The Founding of The Medici Dynasty
- The Three Branches of The Medici Family
- Cosimo The Elder and His Descendants
- The Pazzi Conspiracy
- The Fall of The House
- The Medici Legacy
The Medici family originated in the agricultural Mugello region of Tuscany. The name Medicimeans “doctors”. The dynasty began when Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici (1360–1429) emigrated to Florence to found the Medici Bank in 1397, which would become Europe’s largest and most respected bank. Using his success in banking, he turned to new lines of comme...
There were three branches of Medicis that successfully gained power – the line of Chiarissimo II, the line of Cosimo (known as Cosimo the Elder) and the descendants of his brother, who went on to rule as grand dukes. The House of Medici produced 4 popes – Leo X (1513–1521), Clement VII (1523–1534), Pius IV (1559–1565) and Leo XI (1605). They also p...
During Cosimo’s reign, the Medicis gained fame and prestige first in Florence and then across Italy and Europe. Florence prospered. Because they were part of the patrician class and not the nobility, the Medicis were seen as friends of the common people. After his death, Cosimo’s son Piero (1416-1469) took over. His son, Lorenzo the Magnificent(144...
In 1478, the Pazzi and Salviati families attempted a plot to displace the Medicis with the approval of Pope Sixtus IV, who was an enemy of the Florentine family. The brothers Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici were attacked during High Mass at Florence Cathderal. Giuliano was stabbed 19 times, and bled to death on the Cathedral floor. Lorenzo managed ...
The last of the great banking Medici line, Piero il Fatuo (“the Unfortunate”), only ruled Florence for two years before being expelled. The Medici Bank collapsed in 1494. Upon the defeat of the French armies in Italy by the Spanish, the Medicis returned to rule the city in 1512. Under Cosimo I (1519-1574) – a descendant of Cosimo the Elder’s brothe...
Over a period of just 100 years, the Medici family transformed Florence. As unparalleled patrons of the arts, they supported some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, Giovanni di Bicci, the first Medici arts patron, encouraged Masaccio and commissioned Brunelleschi for the reconstruction of the Basilica di San Lorenzo in 1419. Cosimo the Eld...
Aug 19, 2021 · The Medici were the first family of the city state of Florence, rising from humble beginnings as merchants and bankers to become Grand Dukes of Tuscany. But how did they achieve this? And how important were they to the Renaissance? Historian Catherine Fletcher introduces the Medici, from their triumphs to their most famous family members…
Nov 9, 2009 · Giulio de Medici, the illegitimate son of Lorenzo the Magnificent’s brother Giuliano, abdicated power in 1523 to become Pope Clement VII, and the short and brutal rule of Alessandro (reputed to...
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In commemoration of the deaths of Giuliano and Lorenzo, the two who had died relatively young, the family commissioned Michelangelo to complete the famous Medici Tombs in Florence. The few years of this period are often considered to be the apogee of the Medici age.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
The Pazzi conspiracy of 1478 was an attempt to depose the Medici family by killing Lorenzo with his younger brother Giuliano during Easter services; the assassination attempt ended with the death of Giuliano and an injured Lorenzo.
Feb 26, 2014 · Why are they famous? The Medici family ruled Florence and later Tuscany from the 15th to 18th centuries. Four members of the dynasty became popes: Leo X, Clement VII, Pius IV and Leon XI.
