Giovanni's son Cosimo the Elder, Pater Patriae (father of the country), took over in 1434 as gran maestro (the unofficial head of the Florentine Republic). History of the Medici Rulers 1. In 1378, Salvestro de' Medici proposed a reform widening the suffrage within the Republic, attracting the sympathy of the population for his family. They founded the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and Italy's largest public library. Three lines of Medici successively approached or acquired positions of power. One Salvestro de' Medici was speaker of the woolmakers' guild during the Ciompi revolt of 137882, and one Antonio de' Medici was exiled from Florence in 1396. Giovanni, second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, became Pope Leo X. [42] Cosimo frequently paid the Holy Roman Emperor, his nominal feudal overlord, exorbitant dues,[43] and he sent munitions to the emperor during the Battle of Vienna. [48] Following a sprained ankle in 1731, he remained confined to his bed for the rest of his life. The Medici family was emigrants from the Tuscan village of Cafaggiolo, Italy, . Elected to the Papacy, becoming Pope Leo X. For the pharmaceutical company, see, Minerva, Mercury and Pluto pay homage to the Electress Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, The Medieval World Europe 11001350 by Friedrich Heer, 1998 Germany. He is most remembered as the patron of astronomer Galileo Galilei, whose 1610 treatise, Sidereus Nuncius, was dedicated to him. Second son of Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. [60] Marie de' Medici, widow of Henry IV of France and mother of Louis XIII, is the subject of a commissioned cycle of paintings known as the Marie de' Medici cycle, painted for the Luxembourg Palace by court painter Peter Paul Rubens in 162223. His two sons were Piero (1416-69) and Giovanni (1424-63). Main article: House of Medici Contents 1Root Medici Tree 2Medici family tree (Grand Dukes of Tuscany) 3Structure of the family tree lines 4The descendants line 4.1Origins 4.2Branch of Salvestro di Averardo 4.3Branch of Cafaggiolo 4.4Branch of Popolano (Trebbio)/Grand Ducal Branch 5Cornerstone figures of the line of succession 6Places 7See also He rapidly created connections with the influential members of the Florentine society . 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 Medici family was connected to most other elite families of the time through marriages of convenience, partnerships, or employment, so the family had a central position in the social network: several families had systematic access to the rest of the elite families only through the Medici, perhaps similar to banking relationships. Gian Gastone died on 9 July 1737, surrounded by prelates and his sister. In 1536, Alessandro de' Medici married Charles V's daughter, Margaret of Austria; however, the following year he was assassinated by a resentful cousin, Lorenzino de' Medici. The simplest, though also unproven, theory suggests that the balls represented coins copied from the coat of arms of the Guild of Moneychangers (Arte del Cambio) to which the Medici belonged. The Medici family has also been the subject of medico-historical interest, as many of its most prominent figures were known to have suffered from debilitating illnesses throughout their lives. [50] Upon her brother's death, she received all the House of Medici's allodial possessions. On the right is a meeting of the liberal arts near a fountain. Living in Florence, Italy, he has been the Grand Duke of Tuscany (a sovereign entity without territory) since 2017. [47] On 25 October 1731, a Spanish detachment occupied Florence on behalf of Don Carlos, who disembarked in Tuscany in December of the same year. The main challengers to the Albizzi family were the Medici, first under Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, later under his son Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici and great-grandson, Lorenzo de' Medici. Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, read more, According to Machiavelli, the ends always justify the meansno matter how cruel, calculating or immoral those means might be. The Medici bank was founded by Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici in Florence in 1397. This generation of grand dukes ruled by force, and reduced Florence's reputation as a cultural capitol. Medici, House ofThe Medici family dominated the Italian city of Florence throughout the Renaissance and beyond, from 1434 to 1737. Members of the Medici family were arguably the most-conspicuous social climbers of the Renaissance period. Before the Medici, the Turks were the only exporters of alum, so Europe was forced to buy from them until the discovery in Tolfa. In addition, the early Medici resolutely courted favour with the middle and poorer classes in the city, and this determination to be popolani (plebeian) endured a long time after them. Maria's daughters became queens of Spain and England. From the time of Clement's election as pope in 1523 until the sack of Rome, Florence was governed by the young Ippolito de' Medici (future cardinal and vice-chancellor of the Holy Roman Church), Alessandro de' Medici (future duke of Florence), and their guardians. The Medici Family. To ensure the continuance of his family's success, Lorenzo planned his children's future careers for them. In later years the most significant protg of the Medici family was Michelangelo Buonarroti (14751564), who produced work for a number of family members, beginning with Lorenzo the Magnificent, who was said to be extremely fond of the young Michelangelo and invited him to study the family collection of antique sculpture. On 4 April 1718, Great Britain, France and the Dutch Republic (also later, Austria) selected Don Carlos of Spain, the elder child of Elisabeth Farnese and Philip V of Spain, as the Tuscan heir. The descendants of Cosimo I ruled into the 18th century in relative stability. And at the heart of Florence sat the Medici - perhaps the ugliest family in all of Italian history. The descendants of Cosimo de' Medici's brother Lorenzo (great-uncle of Lorenzo the Magnificent) spawned a line of Grand Dukes of Tuscany, beginning with Cosimo I (1519-1574), and another Queen of France . Lorenzo the Elder and His Heirs. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). They were and still are a pretty big name, is what we're saying. They and other families of Italy inspired the Italian Renaissance, such as the Visconti and Sforza in Milan, the Este in Ferrara, the Borgia in Rome, and the Gonzaga in Mantua. Ferdinando died in 1609, leaving an affluent realm; his inaction in international affairs, however, would have long-reaching consequences down the line. Fanciful stories depict the images as pills or cupping glasses, a late-medieval medical instrument used to draw blood. The Medici remained in exile until 1512 when the descendants of Cosimo de Medici returned and ruled until 1537. Cosimo was in Italy, Eleanora in Spain. The Medici story began around the 12th century, when family members from the Tuscan village of Cafaggiolo emigrated to Florence. When Cosimo I moved the Florentine administrative offices into a building known as the Uffizi, he also established a small museum. In 1569, the duchy was elevated to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany after territorial expansion. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Through Marie, all succeeding French monarchs (bar the Napoleons) were descended from Francesco. The History Collection / Alamy Stock Photo. The pact states that the artworks belong to the state to educate people about the Medici family and attract tourism. In architecture, the Medici were responsible for some notable features of Florence, including the Uffizi Gallery, the Boboli Gardens, the Belvedere, the Medici Chapel and the Palazzo Medici.[58]. [44] Cosimo desperately tried to reach a settlement with the European powers, but Tuscany's legal status was very complicated: the area of the grand duchy formerly comprising the Republic of Siena was technically a Spanish fief, while the territory of the old Republic of Florence was thought to be under imperial suzerainty. This bank was the largest in Europe during the 15th century and facilitated the Medicis' rise to political power in Florence, although they officially remained citizens rather than monarchs until the 16th century. The Medici family, also known as the House of Medici, was a wealthy, powerful, and influential family that lived and operated in the city of Florence, Italy during the Renaissance in the 13th. Cosimo purchased a portion of the island of Elba from the Republic of Genoa and based the Tuscan navy there. Lorenzo de Medici deservedly holds an honoured place in the history of Florence and Italy. The Medicis produced four popes (Leo X, Clement VII, Pius IV and Leo XI), and their genes have been mixed into many of Europes royal families. They were more than beneficent and ostentatious patrons of the arts; they were also enlightened and were probably the most magnificent such patrons that the West has ever seen. [35], Grand Duke Ferdinado was obsessed with new technology, and had a variety of hygrometers, barometers, thermometers, and telescopes installed in the Palazzo Pitti. Another branch of the family, descended from Salvestros distant cousin Giovanni di Bicci de Medici, would begin the great Medici dynasty. And there are still about 100, 000 descendants of this great family, but zero patrilineal descendants. The electress donated much of her fortune to charity: 4,000 a month. He served on the Florentine board of war, called the Dieci (The Ten), and held other posts. Cosimo the Elder's notable artistic associates were Donatello and Fra Angelico. Some examples of these families include the Bardi, Altoviti, Ridolfi, Cavalcanti and the Tornabuoni. Gian Gastone revelled in upsetting her. Upon the death of his first son, Cosimo contemplated restoring the Florentine republic, either upon Anna Maria Luisa's death, or on his own, if he predeceased her. The Medici family can be traced to the Mugello valley just north of Florence where they were mentioned in a document from the year 1230. Medici Family Islamic Medicine John Hunter Louis Pasteur Germ Theory Lung Cancer Mass Vaccination Medicine on the Western Front Medieval Surgery Modern Medicine Public Health Acts Public Health in Early Modern Britain The Black Death The Pharmaceutical Industry Theory of the Four Humours Welfare Reforms Spread of Islam Abd al-Malik Abu Bakr Ferdinando, although no longer a cardinal, exercised much influence at successive conclaves. Giulio de Medici, the illegitimate son of Lorenzo the Magnificents brother Giuliano, abdicated power in 1523 to become Pope Clement VII, and the short and brutal rule of Alessandro (reputed to be Giulios own illegitimate son) ended with his assassination in 1537. But in 1298, one of the leading banking families of Europe, the Bonsignoris, went bankrupt, and the city of Siena lost its status as the banking centre of Italy to Florence. Alessandro proved to be cruel and brutally authoritarian. Eldest son of Cosimo II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 23:27. . By agreement of the European powers (Austria, France, England and the Netherlands), control over Tuscany passed to Francis of Lorraine, whose marriage to Hapsburg heiress (and mother of Marie Antoinette) Maria Theresa of Austria would begin the long European reign of the Hapsburg-Lorraine family. Cousin of Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici, illegitimate son of Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino or Pope Clement VII. Lorenzo's son Piero II took over as the head of Florence after Lorenzo's death. From Leo's election as pope in 1513 to his death in 1521, Florence was overseen, in turn, by Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours, Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, and Giulio de' Medici, the latter of whom became Pope Clement VII. Experience the Medici in Florence with HISTORY Travel. [53] On 19 February 1743, she died, and the grand ducal line of the House of Medici died with her. Image Credit How the Medici Family Continues to Influence the World The Medici family were businesspeople. Notes: Direct descendants of the listed European Royalty - are also either direct descendants or distant cousins of the relevant listed Notable and Famous Descendants. In 1512, thanks in part to the efforts of Pieros younger brother Giovanni (a cardinal at the time and the future Pope Leo X), the Medici family was able to return to Florence. Giovanni, at that time a cardinal, used his influence with Pope Julius II to bring the family back to positions of power. The most significant of the Medici families currently are the Medici Tornaquinci and the Medici di Ottajano. The Medici family, also known as the House of Medici, was the Italian family that ruled Florence, and later Tuscany, during most of the period from 1434 to 1737, except for two brief intervals (from 1494 to 1512, and from 1527 to 1530). However, these portions of his proclamation were completely ignored, and he died a few days later. His natural genius crossed so many disciplines that he epitomized the term Renaissance man. Today he remains best known for two of his paintings, "Mona Lisa" and "The Last read more, Michelangelo was a sculptor, painter and architect widely considered to be one of the greatest artists of theRenaissanceand arguably of all time. However, as their wealth grew, there appeared a moral dilemma. Due to his illness, he mostly stayed at home bedridden, and therefore did little to further the Medici control of Florence while in power. Galileo's patronage was eventually abandoned by Ferdinando II, when the Inquisition accused Galileo of heresy. One of the most notable of them is Prince Ottaviano de Medici. His daughter Marie would become queen of France when she married Henry IV in 1600; her son would rule as Louis XIII from 1610-43. The Medici family . "Beginning with Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici (1360-1429), he established several branches of the Medici Bank, the most lucrative associated with the papal court. Tony Soprano and Shakespeares Macbeth may be well-known Machiavellian characters, but the man whose name inspired the term, Niccolo Machiavelli, didnt read more, 1. As the story goes, Averardo was riding through an area north of Florence known the Mugello when he read more, Some 100 people, many of them seeking religious freedom in the New World, set sail from England on the Mayflower in September 1620. [26] To augment the Tuscan silk industry, he oversaw the planting of mulberry trees along the major roads (silk worms feed on mulberry leaves). Born in 1360, he essentially founded the Medici dynasty. Austria and Spain were ruled by the House of Habsburg; the two are interchangeable terms for the Habsburg domains in the time period in question. At the b ottom left, the representation of the river divinity of the Arno can be seen. She lived the rest of her life deprived of any political influence. 2. Princes William and Charles and Queen Elizabeth can trace their lineage to Cosimo de' Medici's (played by Richard Madden in Season 1 of 'Medici') younger brother, Lorenzo the Elder. Giulia Romola di Alessandro de' Medici [1] (c. 1535 - c. 1588) was the illegitimate, possibly multiracial, [2] daughter of Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence and his mistress Taddea Malaspina . But in 1381, when the popular government fell, he had to go into exile. Under Savonarola's fanatical leadership many great works were "voluntarily" destroyed in the Bonfire of the Vanities (February 7, 1497). https://www.britannica.com/topic/Medici-family, Art Encyclopedia - The Medici Family, Florence, Medici Family - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Medici family - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up), 63 Questions from Britannicas Most Popular Visual Arts Quizzes. [75], Alternatively, it has been suggested that the Medici coat of arms was initially inspired by symbols drawn from Etruscan votive sculpture, examples of which feature an oval dome with balls (echoing the forms of the Medici shield), as well as six balls within a triangle (as found in the alternative, triangular version of the Medici emblem). [38], Ferdinando died on 23 May 1670 afflicted by apoplexy and dropsy. Assuming the mantle of family power from Lorenzo, Piero alienated the people of Florence by siding with the French. During the Russian Revolution read more, The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic rebirth following the Middle Ages. He was interred in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the Medici's necropolis. But then decay set in. 7 Things You May Not Know About the Medicis. READ MORE:7 Things You May Not Know About the Medicis. Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, the first patron of the arts in the family, aided Masaccio and commissioned Filippo Brunelleschi for the reconstruction of the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence in 1419. He ruled for five years. What happened to the Medici money? Introduction. The following year, on 23 May 1498, Savonarola and two young supporters were burned at the stake in the Piazza della Signoria, the same location as his bonfire. In a separate pan, fry the bread crumbs with the . [57] Lorenzo also served as patron to Leonardo da Vinci (14521519) for seven years. Did you know? He initiated the Medici's rise to power. His sister (Anna Maria Luisa if nemory serves) survived him for a few years, but couldnt't give birth to any heir. By the 1520s, nonetheless, the descendants of Cosimo the Elder had become few in number. Born in Rome, she is most known as the wife of Lorenzo de' Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent), de facto ruler . 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