Medici family

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For the board game see, Medici
File:Armoiries Médicis.png
The Medici coat of arms

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 il Magnifico, tho whom Machiavelli dedicated Il Principe ), 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 origin of the name is uncertain, it allegedly reflects a medical trade - medico) originating from the agriculture based Mugello region, 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 in 1434 as gran maestro that 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.

Art, architecture and science

Members of the Medici family parading in the guise of the youngest king from Three Wise Men through the Tuscan countryside in a Benozzo Gozzoli fresco from c. 1459.

The most significant accomplishments of the Medici were in the sponsorship of art and architecture, mainly early and High 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, 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.

  • Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici personally commissioned Brunelleschi to reconstruct the Church of San Lorenzo in 1419.
  • 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

  • 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 (1573 – 1642), Queen and Regent of France
  • Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici (1667 – 1743) the last of the Medici line

Medici family tree (1360 – 1675)

Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici (1360 – 1429)
 
Antonio de' Medici (? – 1398)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Damian de' Medici (1389 – 1390)
 
 
 
 
 
Cosimo de' Medici (the Elder) (1389 – 1464)
 
Piero I de' Medici (the Gouty) (1416 – 1469), Lord of Florence
 
Lorenzo de' Medici (the Magnificent) (1449 – 1492), Lord of Florence
 
Lucrezia de' Medici (1470 – 1550)
 
Maria Salviati
(1499 – 1543)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lorenzo de' Medici (the Elder) (1395 – 1440)
 
 
 
 
Giuliano de' Medici (1453 – 1478)
 
 
 
 
Francesca Salviati
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pierfrancesco de' Medici (the Elder) (1431 – 1476)
 
 
 
 
Giulio de' Medici (1478 – 1534), Pope Clement VII
 
 
 
 
Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici (1535 – 1605), Pope Leo XI
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Giovanni de' Medici (1421 – 1463)
 
Cosimo de' Medici (1452 – 1461)
 
 
Piero II de' Medici (the Unfortunate) (1471 – 1503), Lord of Florence
 
Lorenzo II de' Medici (1492 – 1519), Duke of Urbino
 
Alessandro de' Medici (the Moor) (1510 – 1537), Duke of Florence}
 
Giulio de' Medici (ca. 1533 – 1600)
 
Cosimo de' Medici (? – ?)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Carlo de' Medici (1430 – 1492)
 
 
Maddalena de' Medici (1473 – 1528)
 
 
Clarissa de' Medici (1493 – 1528)
 
 
Caterina Maria Romola di Lorenzo de' Medici (Catherine de' Medici) (1519 – 1589), wife of Henry II of France
 
 
Giulia de' Medici (ca. 1535 – ?)
 
 
Angela/Angelica de' Medici (1608 – 1636)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lorenzo the Popolano (1463 – 1503), Lord of Piombino
 
Pierfrancesco de' Medici (the Younger) (1487 – 1525)
 
 
Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici (1475 – 1521), Pope Leo X
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Giovanni the Popolano (1467 – 1498)
 
 
Laudomia de' Medici (1463-?)
 
 
Giuliano de' Medici (1479 – 1516), Duke of Nemours
 
Ippolito de' Medici (1511 – 1535), Cardinal
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lodovico de' Medici (Giovanni dalle Bande Nere) (1498 – 1526), the most famous soldier of all the Medici
 
 
Lorenzino de' Medici (1514 – 1548) (also called Lorenzaccio)
 
 
Contessina de' Medici (? – 1515), wife of Piero Ridolfi
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cosimo I de' Medici (1519 – 1574), Grand duke of Tuscany
 
 
Giuliano de' Medici (ca. 1520 – 1588), Archbishop of Alby
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bia de' Medici (1537 – 1542)
 
 
Maddalena de' Medici (? – 1583)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Maria de' Medici (1540 – 1557)
 
 
 
 
 
Francesco I de' Medici (1541 – 1587), Grand duke of Tuscany
 
Eleonora de' Medici (1566 – 1611), wife of Vincenzo I Gonzaga, duke of Mantua
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Isabella de' Medici (1542 – 1576)
 
 
Romola de' Medici (1568 – 1568)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Giovanni de' Medici (1543 – 1562), bishop of Pisa and cardinal
 
 
Anna de' Medici (1569 – 1584)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lucrezia de' Medici (1545 – 1561), wife (1560) of Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara and Modena
 
 
Isabella de' Medici (1571 – 1572)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pietro (Pedricco) de' Medici (1546 – 1547)
 
 
Lucrezia de' Medici (1572 – 1574)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Garzia de' Medici (1547 – 1562)
 
 
Marie de' Medici (1573 – 1642), wife of Henry IV of France
 
Henrietta Maria of France, wife of Charles I of England
 
Charles II of England
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Antonio de' Medici (1548 – 1548)
 
 
Antonio de' Medici (1576 – 1621), adopted
 
 
James II of England
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Filippo de' Medici (1577 – 1582)
 
 
Mary Henrietta Stuart
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ferdinando I de' Medici (1549 – 1609), Grand duke of Tuscany
 
Cosimo II de' Medici (1590 – 1621), Grand duke of Tuscany
 
Maria Cristina de' Medici (1609 – 1632)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anna de' Medici (1553 – 1553)
 
 
Eleonora de' Medici (1591 – 1617)
 
 
Ferdinando II de' Medici (1610 – 1670), Grand duke of Tuscany
 
Cosimo de' Medici (1639 – 1639)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pietro de' Medici (1554 – 1604)
 
 
Caterina de' Medici (1593 – 1629), wife of Ferdinando Gonzaga, duke of Mantua
 
 
Giovanni Carlo de' Medici (Giancarlo) (1611 – 1663), bishop of Sabina, created cardinal in 1644
 
 
Cosimo III de' Medici (1642 – 1723), Grand duke of Tuscany
 
Ferdinando de' Medici (1663 – 1713)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(Unnamed daughter) (1566 – 1566)
 
 
Francesco de' Medici (1594 – 1614)
 
 
Margherita de' Medici (1612 – 1679), wife (1628) of Odoardo I Farnese, duke of Parma
 
 
Francesco Maria de' Medici (1660 – 1711), Cardinal
 
 
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici (1667 – 1743)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Giovanni de' Medici (1567 – 1621)
 
 
Carlo de' Medici (1595 – 1666)
 
 
Matteo de' Medici (1613 – 1667)
 
 
Gian Gastone de' Medici (1671 – 1737), Grand duke of Tuscany
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vindchi de' Medici (1568 – 1634)
 
 
Filippino de' Medici (1599 – 1602)
 
 
Francesco de' Medici (1614 – 1634)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Virginia de' Medici (1568 – 1615), wife of Cesare d'Este, Duke of Modena
 
 
Lorenzo de' Medici (1600 – 1648)
 
 
Anna de' Medici (1616 – 1676), wife of archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Maria Maddalena de' Medici (1600 – 1633)
 
 
Leopoldo de' Medici (1617 – 1675), created cardinal in 1667
 
 
 
 
 
 
Claudia de' Medici (1604 – 1648), wife (1620-1622) of Federico della Rovere, only son of the duke ofUrbino, and, later (1626), of archduke Leopold V of Austria
 

See also

  • Alberti
  • Albizzi

Further reading

  • Christopher Hibbert, The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall (Morrow, 1975) 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 (Frederick Ungar, 1936) is the standard overall history of Florence
  • Paul Strathern, The Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance (Pimlico, 2005) 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" (Oxford University Press 2003) 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.
  • Accounting in Italy
  • Vaughan, Herbert M. The Medici Popes. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1908.
  • Zophy, Jonathan W. A Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe Dances over Fire and Water. 1996. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003.

Documentaries

  • PBS/Justin Hardy, Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance 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, The Mummy Detectives: The Crypt Of The Medici 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.
  • BBC Radio 4 3 part series Among the Medici, first episode 22 February 2006, presented by Bettany Hughes [1].

External links

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