House of Medici

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, and later members of the French 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), the family first achieved power through banking. The Medici Bank was one of the most prosperous and most respected in Europe. From this base, the family acquired political power initially in Florence, and later in the wider Italy and Europe.

Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici was the first Medici to enter banking, and while he became influential in Florentine government, it wasn't 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. 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.

Members of the Medici family parading in the guise of the Three Wise Men through the Tuscan countryside in a Benozzo Gozzoli fresco from 1461.

Art and architecture

The most significant accomplishments of the Medici were in 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 art 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.

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

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.
• 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.
• 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 (The Moor)

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

• Genealogical tree of the house of the Medici