The Medici villa of Cafaggiolo was the family's Mugello home, located near present day Barberino di Mugello. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! At this point, the descendants of Cosimo the Elders brother (known as Lorenzo the Elder) came forward to launch a new Medici dynasty. The differences between these three collateral lines are essentially due to circumstances, for there was in all the Medici an extraordinary persistence of hereditary traits. [17] Involvement in another plot in 1400 caused all branches of the family to be banned from Florentine politics for twenty years, with the exception of two. Alessandro proved to be cruel and brutally authoritarian. 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. 2023 A&E Television Networks, LLC. [11] The dynasty began with the founding of the Medici Bank in Florence in 1397. During the Russian Revolution read more, The Renaissance was a fervent period of European cultural, artistic, political and economic rebirth following the Middle Ages. Francesco Maria de' Medici, Duke of Rovere and Montefeltro, Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, Electress Palatine, Genealogical tables of the House of Medici, Medici family tree Medici family tree (Grand Dukes of Tuscany), Philip William August, Count Palatine of Neuburg, "Cosimo de Medici e l'amore per le tartarughe con la vela", "Medici Family Encyclopdia Britannica", "Music and the Medici The Medici Archive Project", "Robust Action and the Rise of the Medici, 14001434", "Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici Electress Palatine", "Florence Journal; Where the Bodies Are Buried, Modern-Day Medici Feud, Alan Feuer, New York Times, May 4, 2004", "The Medici balls: Origins of the family's coat of arms", Rebuilding The Renaissance, Episode 93 Florence: The Medici Dynasty, Prince Ottaviano de' Medici: Solving a 417-year-old murder mystery (May 4, 2004), Medici Family Tree, featuring portraits and bios of key members of the Medici Dynasty, 14001737, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=House_of_Medici&oldid=1134291888, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Italian-language text, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from April 2022, Articles containing explicitly cited English-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, By Medico, Castellan of Potrone, considered the first ancestor of the house, Eldest son of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Print Family Tree. 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. Under Savonarola's fanatical leadership many great works were "voluntarily" destroyed in the Bonfire of the Vanities (February 7, 1497). He made an enormous amount of money doing this, as did many Florentine bankers." In 1537 he was assassinated by a companion who was also a relative. In the 16th century a third line renounced republican notions and imposed its tyranny, and its members made themselves a dynasty of grand dukes of Tuscany. Giovanni, at that time a cardinal, used his influence with Pope Julius II to bring the family back to positions of power. Only Great Britain and the Dutch Republic gave any credence to it, and the plan ultimately died with Cosimo III in 1723.[45]. [35], Grand Duke Ferdinado was obsessed with new technology, and had a variety of hygrometers, barometers, thermometers, and telescopes installed in the Palazzo Pitti. Johann Wilhelm, Elector Palatine, Anna Maria Luisa's spouse, successfully requisitioned the dignity Royal Highness for the Grand Duke and his family in 1691, despite the fact that they had no claim to any kingdom. The reign of Cosimo I placed the Medici on a level with many . [79], Old coat of arms of the Medici used by Giovanni di Bicci and Cosimo the Elder, The intermediate coat of arms of the Medici, Or, six balls in orle gules, The "augmented coat of arms of the Medici, Or, five balls in orle gules, in chief a larger one of the arms of France (viz. Born 12 Jun 1519 in Firenze. [76] This particular influence offers an explanation for the red hue of the Medici balls, the colour of the terracotta sculpture. The origins. The House of Medici (English: / m d t i / MED-i-chee, Italian: [mditi]) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. Following her father's assassination, she was reared at the court of Cosimo I de' Medici and married advantageously twice. 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. He bought what became the Palazzo Medici . The Medici family have claimed to have funded the invention of the piano and opera,[7][verification needed][8][non-tertiary source needed] financed the construction of Saint Peter's Basilica and Santa Maria del Fiore, and were patrons of Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Machiavelli, Galileo and Francesco Redi among many others in the arts and sciences. The Medici Family. This generation of grand dukes ruled by force, and reduced Florence's reputation as a cultural capitol. The familys roots supposedly are linked to one of Charlemagnes eighth-century knights, named Averardo. Gian Gastone died on 9 July 1737, surrounded by prelates and his sister. Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici were married on October 28, 1533, and their marriage produced ten children. In the first place, not being soldiers, they were constantly confronting their adversaries with bribes of gold rather than with battalions of armed men. [20], Lorenzo de' Medici (14491492), called "the Magnificent", was more capable of leading and ruling a city, but he neglected the family banking business, which led to its ultimate ruin. The History Collection / Alamy Stock Photo. Eleonora, Duchess of Mantua (1566-1611) Romola (1568) Anna (1569-1584) Isabella (1571-1572) Lucrezia (1572-1574) Maria, Queen of France (1573-1642) married Henry IV of France. Another branch of the family, descended from Salvestros distant cousin Giovanni di Bicci de Medici, would begin the great Medici dynasty. [56] (see Medici family tree). His contemporaries read more, Known as the Renaissance, the period immediately following the Middle Ages in Europe saw a great revival of interest in the classical learning and values of ancient Greece and Rome. The next few years marked the high point of Medici influence in Europe, as Leo X followed in his fathers humanistic footsteps and devoted himself to artistic patronage. There, by the following century, the Medici were counted among the wealthy notables, although in the second rank, after leading families of the city. He groomed the headstrong Piero II to follow as his successor in civil leadership; Giovanni[21] (future Pope Leo X) was placed in the church at an early age; and his daughter Maddalena was provided with a sumptuous dowry to make a politically advantageous marriage to a son of Pope Innocent VIII that cemented the alliance between the Medici and the Roman branches of the Cybo and Altoviti families. 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. For example, the Medici family gained political control over Florence in the 1430s, which ultimately led to the end of the Florence Republic and led to their reign as monarchs over the city-state. [49] In January 1737, the Spanish troops withdrew from Tuscany, and were replaced by Austrians. Rice University.Medici Family: Origins and History. He is most remembered as the patron of astronomer Galileo Galilei, whose 1610 treatise, Sidereus Nuncius, was dedicated to him. Giovanni's elder son, Cosimo de. Leo X's fun-loving pontificate bankrupted Vatican coffers and accrued massive debts. Secrets and Romance of the de' Medicis. Part 2 and 3 follow the line of Giovanni di . Palaces of the Medici Family in Florence. The few years of this period are often considered to be the apogee of the Medici age. THE MEDICI FAMILY THE MEDICI FAMILY: the most rich and powerful family of Italy! In reward, Charlemagne is said to have rewarded Averardo with the shield mauled by the giant, with the dents in the shape of balls, and the giant's lands in Mugello. [36] In 1657, Leopoldo de' Medici, the Grand Duke's youngest brother, established the Accademia del Cimento, organized to attract scientists to Florence from all over Tuscany for mutual study. Just supporting arts and culture can attract trade and commerce, tourism and . However, the Medici family did afford the scientist a safe haven for many years. By the 1520s, few descendants of Cosimo the Elder remained. Two girls from the family also grew up to be the queens of France. Tuscany became a province of the United Kingdom of Italy in 1861. The family also got its genes mixed with those of most royal families in Europe. Alum is essential as a mordant in the dyeing of certain cloths and was used extensively in Florence, where the main industry was textile manufacturing. Some of these villagers, in the 12th century perhaps, became aware of the new opportunities afforded by commerce and emigrated to Florence. In Japan, Ottaviano d Medici, the first male successor, was introduced as a descendant of the Medici family on the . So. By the 1520s, nonetheless, the descendants of Cosimo the Elder had become few in number. . Beginning in 1434 with the rise to power of Cosimo de Medici (or Cosimo the Elder), the familys patronage of the arts and humanities made Florence into the cradle of the Renaissance, Europes scientific, artistic and cultural rebirth. This led to the transfer of Medici blood, through Catherine's daughters, to the royal family of Spain through Elisabeth of Valois, and the House of Lorraine through Claude of Valois. The Medici remained in exile until 1512 when the descendants of Cosimo de Medici returned and ruled until 1537. Giovannis elder son, Cosimo de Medici (1389-1464), rose to political power in 1434 and ruled Florence as an uncrowned monarch for the rest of his life. What happened to the Medici money? Genealogy of the Medici family of Florence, 1569. Because of this act, considered a betrayal, the Medici had to flee Florence (1494). [19] These three members of the Medici family had great skills in the management of so "restive and independent a city" as Florence. 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 . It is said that Alessandro had his cousin Ippolito killed shortly before he himself was done away with by another vengeful member of the clan. Cosimo was in Italy, Eleanora in Spain. [26] To augment the Tuscan silk industry, he oversaw the planting of mulberry trees along the major roads (silk worms feed on mulberry leaves). [22], The Pazzi conspiracy of 1478 was an attempt to depose the Medici family by killing Lorenzo with his younger brother Giuliano during Easter services; the assassination attempt ended with the death of Giuliano and an injured Lorenzo. To ensure the continuance of his family's success, Lorenzo planned his children's future careers for them. The line of Chiarissimo II failed to gain power in Florence in the 14th century. The period has even been called the century of Leo X. From 1513 to 1521, surrounded by five nephews and cousins whom he had named cardinals, Leo X reigned less over Christianity than over arts and letters in the style of his father, the Magnificent, too occupied with patronage to pay sufficient attention to an unimportant monk by the name of Martin Luther. 7 Things You May Not Know About the Medicis. With that said, there was a . Assuming the mantle of family power from Lorenzo, Piero alienated the people of Florence by siding with the French. The family originally came from a village in Tuscany but eventually migrated to Florence, its capital. . Lorenzo's son Piero II took over as the head of Florence after Lorenzo's death. The barbarous, unenlightened Middle Ages were over, they said; the new age would be a rinascit (rebirth) of learning and literature, art and culture. Cosimo the Elder, the first of the Medici to gain notable political status in Florence, married the daughter of a very prestigious Florentine family. The conspiracy involved the Pazzi and Salviati families, both rival banking families seeking to end the influence of the Medici, as well as the priest presiding over the church services, the Archbishop of Pisa, and even Pope Sixtus IV to a degree. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. In the dangerous circumstances in which our city is placed, the time for deliberation is past. As Cosimo I, he established absolute power in the region, and his descendants would rule as grand dukes into the 1700s. Anna Maria Luisa was offered a nominal regency by the Prince de Craon until the new grand duke could peregrinate to Tuscany, but declined. 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. For most of the 13th century, the leading banking centre in Italy was Siena. One of the most notable of them is Prince Ottaviano de Medici. Maria's daughters became queens of Spain and England. Needless to conclude, that the world has need of people like the Medicis still. . The mob hastened to seek out Salvestros first cousin, Vieri, who was, however, able to fade away without losing face. Cosimo understood immediately that the only way to protect the fortune they had gathered was to acquire an even larger political influence in Florence. Clement VII's tumultuous pontificate was dominated by a rapid succession of political crisesmany long in the makingthat resulted in the sack of Rome by the armies of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V in 1527 and rise of the Salviati, Altoviti and Strozzi as the leading bankers of the Roman Curie. Lorenzos great-great-grandson Cosimo (1519-1574) became duke of Florence in 1537, then grand duke of Tuscany in 1569. The Medicis' wealth and influence was initially derived from the textile trade guided by the wool guild of Florence, the Arte della Lana. They were generous patrons of the arts who commissioned masterpieces such as Raphael's Transfiguration and Michelangelo's The Last Judgment; however, their reigns coincided with troubles for the Vatican, including Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation and the infamous sack of Rome in 1527. Living in Florence, Italy, he has been the Grand Duke of Tuscany (a sovereign entity without territory) since 2017. Maria Maddelana's temperament was analogous to Christina's, and together they aligned Tuscany with the papacy, re-doubled the Tuscan clergy, and allowed the heresy trial of Galileo Galilei to occur. The latter died before his father, who in death received the title Father of His Country. Piero di Cosimo de Medici maintained and strengthened the political fortunes of the family. The Medici family ruled the city of Florence throughout the Renaissance. He was interred in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the Medici's necropolis. Ferdinando eagerly assumed the government of Tuscany. The Medici family, also known as the House of Medici, first attained wealth and political power in Florence, Italy, in the 13th century through its success in commerce and banking. Cosimos elder son Francis succeeded his father, but proved a less effective ruler. They first came to power in 1613, and over the next three centuries, 18 Romanovs took the Russian throne, including Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Alexander I and Nicholas II. "They were bankers," says Bartlett. 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 . [77] In addition, the notion of Etruscan votive sculpture would have chimed with the participation of the Medici in the religious custom of offering up votive statues, a practice that recalled the ancient Etruscan convention of donating sculptures in the hope of, or gratitude for, divine favour. [sibling (s) unknown] Husband of Leonor lvarez (Toledo) de Medici married 29 Mar 1539 (to 17 Dec 1562) in By Proxy. Prince Lorenzo de' Medici relates his experiences in giving back to the world and continuing the philanthropic legacy of his de' Medici namesake. The background shows the family's influence in the region. 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. 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. This MEDICI index was pre-built so it loads quickly. 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. The Medici family had a long and powerful influence in European history for hundreds of years. In 1530, after allying himself with Charles V, Pope Clement VII succeeded in securing the engagement of Charles V's daughter Margeret of Austria to his illegitimate nephew (reputedly his son) Alessandro de' Medici. Unlike his father, Piero had little interest in the arts. The first grand duke of the new dynasty, Francis I, was a great-great-great-grandson of Francesco I de' Medici, thus he continued the Medicean Dynasty on the throne of Tuscany through the female line. This century-long rule was interrupted only on two occasions (between 14941512 and 15271530), when anti-Medici factions took control of Florence. That November, the ship landed on the shores of Cape Cod, in present-day Massachusetts. Their influence had declined by the late 14th century, however, when Salvestro de Medici (then serving as gonfaliere, or standard bearer, of Florence) was banished from the city in 1382 due to his oppressive policies and was forced to live in exile. . Cosimo III married Marguerite Louise d'Orlans, a granddaughter of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici. Giovanni . Louis repudiated her pro-Habsburg policy in 1617. 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. 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. [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. Galileo's patronage was eventually abandoned by Ferdinando II, when the Inquisition accused Galileo of heresy. Henry explicitly stated that he would defend Tuscany from Spanish aggression, but later reneged, after which Ferdinando was forced to marry his heir, Cosimo, to Maria Maddalena of Austria to assuage Spain (where Maria Maddalena's sister Margaret was the incumbent Queen consort). Brother of Piero the Unfortunate, second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent. The Medici story began around the 12th century, when family members from the Tuscan village of Cafaggiolo emigrated to Florence. Giuliano, who received the French title of duc de Nemours, was in poor health and died relatively young. "They are doing this without asking permission," said Marchese Giuliano Medici Tornaquinci, an elder of the family clan that now lives in Rome. 2. "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. As these descendants lost their grip on the banking empire, economic troubles with debt-ridden foreign nationals and the Pazzi conspiracy - a coup by rival banking families backed by the Catholic Church to usurp Medici control in Florence - had brought the Medici Bank to an end. In the same year, 1532, Clement VII abolished the citys old constitution. 2. Queen. Medici family tree (Grand Dukes of Tuscany), Branch of Popolano (Trebbio)/Grand Ducal Branch, Cornerstone figures of the line of succession, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Philip William August, Count Palatine of Neuburg, "Eldredge-Story, and allied families: genealogical, biographical", "Romance of Beautiful American Marchesa Peruzzi de' Medici", "The Significance of Florence in the Life of William Wetmore Story and his Family", Genealogical tables of the House of Medici, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Medici_family_tree&oldid=1123316500, Articles needing additional references from August 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles that may contain original research from August 2018, All articles that may contain original research, Wikipedia articles needing reorganization from August 2018, Wikipedia articles that are excessively detailed from August 2018, All articles that are excessively detailed, Wikipedia articles with style issues from August 2018, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Last descendant of the House of Medici's main branch to rule Florence, This page was last edited on 23 November 2022, at 02:55. When Lorenzo died in 1492, however, his son Piero proved quite incapable of responding successfully to challenges caused by the French invasion of Italy in 1492, and within two years, he and his supporters were forced into exile and replaced with a republican government. It would also have reflected the family's interest in Etruscan art and culture. 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. 2. [59] Eleanor of Toledo, a princess of Spain and wife of Cosimo I the Great, purchased the Pitti Palace from Buonaccorso Pitti in 1550. The Descendants of Cosimo de' Medici Lorenzo was a poet himself, and supported the work of such Renaissance masters as Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo (whom the Medicis commissioned to complete their family tombs in Florence). The Medici, however, were able to escape this fate and even took advantage of it to establish themselves among the citys elite. Overthrown when. Updates? Cosimo (Cosimo I) "Granduca di Toscana, Duca di Firenze" de' Medici formerly Medici. After securing Alessandro de' Medici's dukedom, Pope Clement VII married off his first cousin, twice removed, Catherine de' Medici, to the son of Emperor Charles V's arch-enemy, King Francis I of Francethe future King Henry II. On the left side is a view of the city of Florence. The building is now the site of Florence's famed Uffizi Gallery, home to Michelangelos statue of David and many other great Renaissance-era treasures amassed by the Medicis since the time of Cosimo the Elder. After Lorenzo's death the puritanical Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola rose to prominence, warning Florentines against excessive luxury. When Giovanni (Dustin Hoffman) dies, his son Cosimo (Richard Madden, Games of Thrones 's Robb Stark) knows foul play was involved and sets out to solve the whodunnit. He ruled for five years. Perhaps God wills that this war, which began in the blood of my brother and of myself, should be ended by any means. Azure, three fleurs-de-lis or) was granted by Louis XI in 1465. Ancestors. [78] Such favours would have included the wish for a strong and healthy family, both for the supplicant and their descendants. READ MORE:7 Things You May Not Know About the Medicis. The curtains closed on almost 300 years of Medici rule in Florence with the death of Gian Gastone de' Medici, the seventh family member to serve as grand duke of Tuscany. His three children, Piero (14721503), Giovanni (14751521)later Leo Xand Giuliano (14791516), played contrasting roles in the citys history. ADVERTISEMENT 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. 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. [29] Francesco and Ferdinando, due to lax distinction between Medici and Tuscan state property, are thought to have been wealthier than their ancestor, Cosimo de' Medici, the founder of the dynasty. Brother of Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, son of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany. The Medici family were wool merchants and bankers. In this article we will talk about the Medici, one of the largest, most powerful and richest Italian families ever, who remained in power for about 300 years.They have been popes, sovereigns and patrons, they have promoted art and culture and they have given to their territory such glory and prestige that they can never be replicated again! He served on the Florentine board of war, called the Dieci (The Ten), and held other posts. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). After 1340 an economic depression throughout Europe forced these more powerful houses into bankruptcy. 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. A scouting party was sent out, and in late December the read more. Patrilineal descendants today: 0; Total descendants today: about 40,000. Omissions? She lived the rest of her life deprived of any political influence.
How Did Kelly Preston Die So Quickly,
Onomatopoeia Examples,
Lune Rousse Signification Spirituelle,
Borgess Medical Records,
Articles M
