Why is the medici family important today
The Rise and Fall of the Medici Family
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the rise and fall of the Medici family
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back the Medicis are one of the most
influential and controversial families
in the history of the world
they used the power of their wealth to
rise above all the other upper-class
families of Florence to dominate the
political and cultural scene the Medicis
were instrumental in the rise of the
Italian Renaissance and were deeply
involved in shaping European culture and
politics for 300 years but after so many
years of dominance the house of Medici
fellows quickly as it rose today we are
taking an in-depth look at the rise and
fall of the Medici family but first
here's some background who were the
Medici family in the 14th century the
Medicis rose from relative obscurity to
become the most powerful and wealthiest
family in all of Italy and most of
Europe they were an Italian banking
family political dynasty and royal house
that became dominant in the early 15th
century the Medicis used the wealth from
their hugely successful bank to wield
influence over the political and
cultural scene in Florence Italy and
beyond the house of Medici is now
counted among the most influential
families in the history of the world
they helped launch the Renaissance
period in Florence and made an impact
that continues to be felt even today the
Medicis were the first to win their
ruling status through commerce rather
than through warfare marriage or
inheritance but how did it all start
beginnings the Medici family moved from
the Tuscan hillsides to Florence in
present-day Italy at some point in the
12th century and became established
members of the community as a prominent
banking family the Medicis were wealthy
members of the upper class II
before they became one of the most
influential families in Europe the story
of the Medici families incredible rise
in Florence starts with Giovanni de
Medici
Giovanni rose through the ranks of the
Florentine banking system until he
became the manager of his uncle's bank
in Rome when his uncle retired he left
the bank in Giovanni's hands later on
Giovanni moved to Florence and
officially established the Medici bank
the bank soon became the top financial
institution in the region largely thanks
to their primary clients the Pope and
the Roman Catholic Church other branches
were opened up in Rome Geneva and Venice
but this was just the beginning the rise
giovanni passed the banking business on
to his sons
Cosimo and Lorenzo who were the two main
founders of the famous Medici bloodlines
during the 1430s Cosimo began to use the
incredible wealth at his disposal to set
up an elaborate network in Florence
which greatly increased his influence he
was quick to loan money in exchange for
favors and within just a few years
nearly every business in Florence was
beholden to him
Cosimo spread the Medici bank throughout
Western Europe and beyond opening
branches in Milan London Pisa Barcelona
Cairo and other cities the money from
all of these cities flowed directly into
the house of Medici through the Medici
bank the Pope opened a significant line
of credit giving the Medicis control
over the church's purse strings as well
with all of his power and influence
Cosimo became the de facto ruler of
Florence even though officially he
remained a private citizen and the house
of Medici became the dominant family in
Florence Cosimo was able to maintain
control by buying the votes of office
holders the families that had been
dominant before this were not happy
about Cosimo's quick rise to power a
rival family had him arrested and exiled
but Kosovo's political network and bribe
money soon helped him to wipe out his
enemies once all opposition was removed
Cosimo returned to Florence and ruled
nearly on
checked for 30 years during this time
Cosimo poured money into the arts and
cultural pursuits which made him and the
Medici family very popular Cosimo was
also able to use the arts to his
political advantage by sponsoring
propaganda before law Florence was the
cultural center of Europe under Cosimo's
control the Medici family kept getting
richer and richer at one point they
reportedly owned 27 villas in Florence
and Tuscany but could the family
continue thriving after the death of its
leader loss of wealth murder and exile
when Cosimo passed away in 1464 his son
Piero took over as Florence's ruler but
died just five years later after his
death the leading citizens of Florence
asked Piero son Lorenzo to take on the
unofficial ruling role Lorenzo was only
twenty years old and wasn't nearly as
effective at running the family bank or
using his wealth to silence his
opposition in 1478 a coalition of the
Medici family's enemies plotted to take
out both Lorenzo and his younger brother
Giuliano the plan was for the brothers
to be killed as they knelt before the
altar at a mass at the Cathedral of
Florence
Giuliano was killed but Lorenzo fought
his way out and by nightfall four of the
attackers were hung like his grandfather
Lorenzo was known to be a patron of the
Arts and a number of notable artists
were in his court including Leonardo da
Vinci Michelangelo and Sandro Botticelli
in 1471 Lorenzo calculated how much his
family had spent on charity buildings
and artistic support since his
grandfather took control the amount
totaled more than four hundred and sixty
million dollars at today's valuation
after Lorenzo's death in 1492 his 20
year old son Piero became leader of
Florence much of the family's wealth had
been depleted under Lorenzo's rule due
to his inattention to the family bank
which officially closed in 1494 so Piero
was the first in line of the Medicis to
attempt to rule without ample wealth to
back him up after giving up several
castles and the ports of Pisa
and Livorno in an imbalanced peace
treaty with friends the angered citizens
of Florence forced him out of the city
and he died in exile a new blood line
when the male descendants of Cosimo died
of the male heirs of his brother
Lorenzo took over and began a new branch
of the Medici dynasty two of Lorenzo's
sons became popes in the 16th century
taking the names Leo the tenth and
Clement the seventh both of them were
the unofficial rulers of Florence and
Rome Pope Leo spent the church's money
freely and a cured massive debts Pope
Clements 11-year reign was a tumultuous
time for Italy and the Republicans and
Florence once again tried to remove the
Medicis from power this led to a
three-year struggle but the Medicis
ultimately retained their power and for
the next 200 years
power was passed peacefully through the
generations of the Medici family with
very little resistance in Florence the
fall of the house of Medici by the 17th
century the Medici family was faced with
a lack of male heirs and was virtually
bankrupt the population of Florence had
dropped by half due to diseases and
people moving to other areas the later
medici rulers were more authoritarian
and weren't concerned with cultural or
artistic endeavors which led to the
decline of Florence as the cultural
center of Europe the last male of the
senior branch of the Medicis died in
1737 this brought an end to a nearly 300
year Medici family dynasty which was
replaced by the long-lasting European
reign of the habsburg-lorraine family
however their legacy continues to live
on even today the Medici legacy the most
enduring legacy of the Medicis comes
through their support of art and
architecture the structures they were
responsible for include st. Peter's
Basilica and Santa Maria del Fiore
the artists and scientists they
sponsored include Michelangelo Leonardo
da Vinci Raphael Galileo and Machiavelli
their funding led to the creation of
opera and the invention of the piano
their riches supported Florence as the
cultural center of the
and created a cultural awakening that
could only be compared to that of the
ancient Greeks for a period of time they
were the wealthiest family in Europe and
their bloodline mixed with royal
families throughout the continent due to
strategic marriages and a lack sirs for
a complete history of the Medici dynasty
check out the house of Medici Itza rise
and fall a book by Christopher Hobart he
takes an in-depth look at how the
Medicis built their wealth and used
their influence to dominate Florence for
hundreds of years you can hear his
captivating story on audible and save
yourself twenty-five dollars if you go
to a Lux calm slash free book and sign
up to get the audiobook version for free
thanks to our partnership with audible
the quote while researching this story
became across this thought-provoking
quote from Cosimo de'medici we'd like to
share with you and it goes like this
there is in the garden a plant which one
ought to leave dry although most people
water it it is the weed called Envy this
is a good reminder a Luxor's to focus
more on how you are going to achieve
your goals instead of what others are
achieving on their own question since
we're winding down to the end of this
story and we talked about all the
cultural achievements that came about as
a result of the Medicis power and
corrupt influence we're curious to know
do you think the end justifies the means
let us know what you think in the
comments and of course for sticking with
us until the end we owe you a bonus
don't we here it is
catherine de medici married prince henry
of france when she was only 14 years old
when henry became king of france in 1547
she reigned as Queen until he was killed
in a jousting match in 1559 three of her
sons went on to be the King of France
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