Everything about The Medici totally explained
The
Medici family was a powerful and influential
Florentine family from the 13th to 17th century. The family produced three
popes (
Leo X,
Clement VII, and
Leo XI), numerous rulers of
Florence (notably
Lorenzo the Magnificent, patron of some of the most famous works of renaissance art), and later members of the
French and
English royalty. Like other
Signore families they dominated their city's government. They were able to bring Florence under their family's power, allowing for an environment where art and
humanism could flourish. They led the birth of the
Italian Renaissance along with the other great
signore families of Italy like the
Visconti and
Sforza families of
Milan, the
Este of
Ferrara, the
Gonzaga of
Mantua, and others.
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 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.
History
The Medici family came from the agricultural
Mugello region, north of
Florence, being mentioned for the first time in a document of 1230.
The origin of the name is uncertain although its Italian meaning is "medical doctor". Members of the family rose to some prominence in the early 14th century in the
wool trade, especially with
France and
Spain. Despite the presence of some Medicis in the city's government institutions, they were still far less notable than outstanding families such as the
Albizzi or the
Strozzi. One
Salvestro de' Medici was speaker of the woolmakers' guild during the
Ciompi revolt, and one Antonio was sentenced to death in 1396. The involvement in another plot in 1400 caused all branches of the family to be banned from Florence's politics for twenty years, with the exception of two: from one of the latter, that of Averardo (Bicci) de' Medici, originated the Medici dynasty.
Averardo's son,
Giovani di Bicci, increased the wealth of the family through his creation of the
Medici Bank, and became one of the richest men in the city. Although never held any political charge, he gained a strong popular support to the family when he supported the introduction of a proportional taxing system.
His son
Cosimo the Elder took over in 1434 as
gran maestro, and the Medici became unofficial heads 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 (between 1494–1512 and 1527–1530), 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 di Bicci, starting with his great-great-grandson
Cosimo I the Great. The Medici's rise to power was chronicled in detail by
Benedetto Dei.
Cosimo and his father started the Medici foundations in banking, manufacturing - including a form of franchises - wealth, art, cultural patronage, and in the Papacy that ensured their success for generations. At least half, probably more, of Florence’s people were employed by them and their foundational branches in business.
15th century
Piero de' Medici (1416-1469), Cosimo’s son, stayed in power for only five years (1464-1469). He was called Piero the Gouty because of the gout that infected his foot, and it eventually led to his death. He had little interest for the arts as his father had. Due to his illness, he mostly stayed at home bedridden, and therefore had done little to further the Medici control of Florence while in power. As such, Medici rule stagnated until his grandson Lorenzo took over.
Lorenzo de' Medici “the Magnificent” (1449-1492), was more capable of leading and ruling a city. However, “Magnificent” was a common title and essentially doesn't mean anything special in itself. He showed his children great love and affection, too. To ensure the continuance of his success, Lorenzo perceived his children’s abilities and planned their futures and careers for them. He predicted, or rather forced, Piero II to be headstrong, Giovanni a scholar, and Giuliano--not to be confused with Lorenzo’s brother who had the same first name--good. Giuliano, Lorenzo’s brother, was assassinated in church on Easter Sunday (1478). Lorenzo adopted Giuliano’s illegitimate son, Giulio de' Medici (1478-1535), the future Clement VII. The incompetent
Piero II took over as the head of Florence after his father’s, Lorenzos', death. Piero was responsible for the expulsion of the Medici from 1494-1512.
The Medici remained masters of Italy through their two famous 16th century popes,
Leo X and
Clement VII, who were
de facto rulers of both Rome and Florence. They were both patrons of the arts, but in the religious field they proved unable to stem the advance of
Martin Luther's ideas. Another Medici became Pope: Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici (
Leo XI).
The most outstanding figure of the 16th century Medici was
Cosimo I, who, coming from a retire in the
Mugello, rose to supremacy in the whole of
Tuscany, conquering the Florentines' most hated rival
Siena and founding the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
Art and architecture
The most significant accomplishments of the Medici were in the sponsorship of
art and
architecture, mainly early and High Renaissance art and architecture. The Medici were responsible for the majority of Florentine art during their reign. Their money was significant because during this period, artists generally only made their works when they received commissions and advance payments. Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, the first patron of the arts in the family, aided
Masaccio and commissioned
Brunelleschi for the reconstruction of the
Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence in 1419.
Cosimo the Elder's notable artistic associates were
Donatello and
Fra Angelico. The most significant addition to the list over the years was
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564), who produced work for a number of Medici, beginning with
Lorenzo the Magnificent. Lorenzo commissioned him often, even as a child, and was extremely fond of him. Lorenzo commissioned
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) for seven years. Lorenzo also was an artist of poetry and song. Later,
Pope Leo X would chiefly commission
Raphael (1483-1520) — "the Prince of Painters."
Pope Clement VII commissioned Michelangelo to paint the altar wall of the
Sistine Chapel; the de' Medici family oversaw the construction of the Sistine Chapel as well.
Under
Savonarola's fanatical leadership, many great works were "voluntarily" destroyed in the
Bonfire of the Vanities (
February 7,
1497). The following year, on
May 23,
1498, Savonarola and his two young supporters were hanged in the public square, the same location as his bonfire.
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 Galilei, who 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, when the
Inquisition accused Galileo of heresy. However, the Medici family did afford the scientist a safe haven for many years. Galileo named the four largest moons of
Jupiter after four Medici children he tutored.
Notable members
Salvestro de' Medici (1331–1388), led the assault against the revolt of the ciompi, became dictator of Florence, and banished in 1382
Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici (1360–1429), restored the family fortune and made the Medici family the wealthiest in Europe
Cosimo the Elder (1389–1464), founder of the Medici political dynasty
Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449–1492), leader of Florence during the Golden Age of the Renaissance
Giovanni de' Medici (1475–1523), also known as Pope Leo X
Giulio de' Medici (1478–1534), also known as Pope Clement VII
Cosimo I the Great (1519–1574), First Grand Duke of Tuscany who restored the Medici lustre
Catherine de' Medici (1519–1589), Queen of France
Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici (1535–1605), also known as Pope Leo XI
Marie de' Medici (1575–1642), Queen and Regent of France
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici (1667–1743) the last of the Medici lineFurther Information
Get more info on 'Medici'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://medici.totallyexplained.com">Medici Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
