Medici
The Medici family was a powerful and influential
Florentine family from the
13th to
17th century. The family produced three
popes , numerous rulers of Florence, and later members of the
French and
English royalty. The family also helped to spur the beginning of the
Italian Renaissance.
From humble beginnings , the family first achieved power through
banking. The Medici Bank was one of the most prosperous and most respected in Europe. There are some estimates that the Medici family was for a period of time the wealthiest family in Europe.
Encyclopedia
The
Medici family was a powerful and influential
Florentine family from the
13th to
17th century. The family produced three
popes , numerous rulers of Florence, and later members of the
French and
English royalty. The family also helped to spur the beginning of the
Italian Renaissance.
From humble beginnings , the family first achieved power through
banking. The Medici Bank was one of the most prosperous and most respected in Europe. There are some estimates that the Medici family was for a period of time the wealthiest family in Europe. From this base, the family acquired political power initially in Florence, and later in the wider Italy and Europe. A notable contribution to the profession of accounting was the improvement of the general ledger system through the development of the double-entry bookkeeping system for tracking credits and debits. This system was first used by accountants working for the Medici family in Florence.
Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici was the first Medici to enter banking, and while he became influential in Florentine government, it was not until his son
Cosimo the Elder took over that in 1434 as gran maestro that the Medici became unofficial head of state of the Florentine republic. The "senior" branch of the family — those descended from Cosimo the Elder — ruled until the assassination of
Alessandro de' Medici, first Duke of Florence, in 1537. This century-long rule was only interrupted on two occasions , when popular revolts sent the Medici into exile. Power then passed to the "junior" branch — those descended from Lorenzo the Elder, younger son of Giovanni de Bicci, starting with his great-great-grandson
Cosimo I the Great. The Medici's rise to power was chronicled in detail by Benedetto Dei.
Art, architecture and science
The most significant accomplishments of the Medici were in the sponsorship of
art and
architecture, within which the portfolio of talent employed by Medici is a virtual "Who's Who?" of Renaissance art and architecture. Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, the first patron of the arts in the family, aided
Masaccio and ordered the reconstruction of the
Church of San Lorenzo.
Cosimo the Elder's notable artistic associates were
Donatello and
Fra Angelico. The most significant addition to the list over the years was
Michelangelo, who produced work for a number of Medici, beginning with
Lorenzo the Magnificent. In addition to commissions for art and architecture, the Medici were prolific collectors and today their acquisitions form the core of the
Uffizi museum in Florence.
In
architecture, the Medici are responsible for some notable features of Florence; including the
Uffizi Gallery, the
Pitti Palace, the
Boboli Gardens, the Belvedere, and the
Palazzo Medici.
Although none of the Medici themselves were scientists, the family is well known to have been the patrons of the famous
Galileo.
Galileo tutored multiple generations of Medici children, and was an important figurehead for his patron's quest for power. Galileo's patronage was eventually abandoned by Ferdinando II, Grand Duke of Tuscany, when the Roman Inquisition accused the great scientist of heresy. However, the Medici family did afford Galileo a safe haven from those seeking his demise. Galileo did name the four largest moons of
Jupiter after four Medici children that he tutored.
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The
Basilica di San Lorenzo is one of the largest churches of Florence [i], Italy [i], sit ...
in 1419.
- Cosimo the Elder also commissioned Brunelleschi to finish the uncompleted dome of Santa Maria del Fiore. The dome, the largest in the world at that time, was finished in 1436.
- Eleonora of Toledo, princess of Spain and wife of Cosimo I the Great, purchased Pitti Palace from Buonaccorso Pitti in 1550.
- Cosimo I the Great patronized Vasari who erected the Uffizi Gallery in 1560 and founded the Academy of Design in 1562.
- Marie de Medici, widow of Henri IV
...
and mother of
Louis XIII, is used by
Peter Paul Rubens in 1622-23 as the subject in his oil painting
Marie de' Medici, Queen of France, Landing in Marseilles.
Notable members
...
during the Golden Age of the
Renaissance ...
the last of the Medici line
Medici family tree
Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici ¦
+-Antonio de' Medici
¦
+-Damian de' Medici
¦
+-
Cosimo de' Medici ¦ ¦
¦ +-
Piero I de' Medici , Lord of
Florence ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-
Lorenzo de' Medici , Lord of Florence
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ +-Lucrezia de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-Maria Salviati , wife of Giovanni dalle bande nere
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-Francesca Salviati
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-
Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici , Pope Leo XI
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ +-
Piero II de' Medici , Lord of Florence
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-
Lorenzo II de' Medici , Duke of
Urbino ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-
Alessandro de' Medici , Duke of Florence
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-Giulio de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-Cosimo de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-Angela/Angelica de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-Giulia de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de' Medici , wife of
Henry II of France ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-Clarissa de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ +-Maddalena de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ +-
Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici , Pope Leo X
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ +-Giuliano de' Medici , Duke of Nemours
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-Ippolito de' Medici , Cardinal
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ +-
Contessina de' Medici , wife of Piero Ridolfi
¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-
Giuliano de' Medici ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-
Giulio de' Medici , Pope Clement VII
¦ ¦
¦ +-Giovanni de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-Cosimo de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-Carlo de' Medici
¦
+-Lorenzo de' Medici
¦
+-Pierfrancesco de' Medici
¦
+-Lorenzo the Popolano , Lord of
Piombino ¦ ¦
¦ +-Pierfrancesco de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-Laudomia de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-Lorenzino de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-Giuliano the Medici , Archbishop of Alby
¦ ¦
¦ +-Maddalena de' Medici
¦
+-Giovanni the Popolano
¦
+-Lodovico de' Medici , the most famous soldier of all the Medici
¦
+-
Cosimo I de' Medici , Grand duke of Tuscany
¦
+-Bia de' Medici
¦
+-Maria de' Medici
¦
+-
Francesco I de' Medici , Grand duke of Tuscany
¦ ¦
¦ +-Eleonora de' Medici , wife of Vincenzo I Gonzaga, duke of Mantua
¦ ¦
¦ +-Romola de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-Anna de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-Isabella de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-Lucrezia de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-
Marie de' Medici , wife of
Henry IV of France ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-
Henrietta Maria of France, wife of
Charles I of England ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-
Charles II of England ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-
James II of England ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-
Mary Henrietta Stuart ¦ ¦
¦ +-Antonio de' Medici , adopted
¦ ¦
¦ +-Filippo de' Medici
¦
+-Isabella de' Medici
¦
+-Giovanni de' Medici , bishop of
Pisa and cardinal
¦
+-Lucrezia de' Medici , wife of Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of
Ferrara and
Modena ¦
+-Pietro de' Medici
¦
+-Garzia de' Medici
¦
+-Antonio de' Medici
¦
+-
Ferdinando I de' Medici , Grand duke of Tuscany
¦ ¦
¦ +-Cosimo II de' Medici , Grand duke of Tuscany
¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-Maria Cristina de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-Ferdinando II de' Medici , Grand duke of Tuscany
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ +-Cosimo de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ +-
Cosimo III de' Medici , Grand duke of Tuscany
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-
Ferdinando III de' Medici ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦ +-
Gian Gastone de' Medici , Grand duke of Tuscany
¦ ¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ ¦ +-Francesco Maria de' Medici , Cardinal
¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-Giovanni Carlo de' Medici , Bishop of Sabina, created cardinal in 1644
¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-Margherita de' Medici , wife of Odoardo I Farnese, duke of Parma
¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-Matteo de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-Francesco de' Medici
¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-Anna de' Medici , wife of archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria
¦ ¦ ¦
¦ ¦ +-
Leopoldo de' Medici , created cardinal in 1667
¦ ¦
¦ +-Eleonora de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-Caterina de' Medici , wife of Ferdinando Gonzaga, duke of
Mantua ¦ ¦
¦ +-Francesco de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-Carlo de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-Filippino de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-
Lorenzo de' Medici ¦ ¦
¦ +-Maria Maddalena de' Medici
¦ ¦
¦ +-
Claudia de' Medici , wife of Federico della Rovere, only son of the duke of
¦
Urbino, and, later , of archduke Leopold V of Austria
¦
+-Anna de' Medici
¦
+-Pietro de' Medici
¦
+-
¦
+-Giovanni de' Medici
¦
+-Vindchi de' Medici
¦
+-Virginia de' Medici , wife of Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena
Further reading
- Christopher Hibbert, The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall is a highly readable, non-scholarly general history of the family
- Ferdinand Schevill, History of Florence: From the Founding of the City Through the Renaissance is the standard overall history of Florence
- Paul Strathern, The Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance is an informative and lively account of the Medici family, their finesse and foibles - extremely readable, though very homophobic and full of typographical errors.
- Lauro Martines, "April Blood - Florence and the Plot Against the Medici" a detailed account of the Pazzi Conspiracy, the players, the politics of the day, and the fallout of the assassination plot . Though accurate in historic details, Martines writes with a definite 'anti-Medici' tone.
- Chacko, Thomas Without a City Wall Historical novel set in 16th century Europe and South India that provides a detailed description of the assassination of Alessandro de Medici
Documentaries
- PBS/Justin Hardy, Four-hour documentary, covering the rise and fall of the family from Giovanni through the abandonment of Galileo by Ferdinand II. Very watchable and informative, available on DVD & Video.
- TLC/Peter Spry-Leverton.PSL, One-hour documentary. Italian specialists, joined by mummy expert and TLC presenter Dr. Bob Brier exhume the bodies of Italy's ancient first family and use the latest forensic tools to investigate how they lived and died. Airs on Discovery Channel.
External links
