The Medici; Heroes of the Rennaissance

In the 14th and early 15th century, rulers in Europe were undertaking the task of reestablishing the power of the monarch after its age of weakness during the Middle Ages. The age that led up to the Renaissance was a constant struggle for the monarchs. They depended on councils of nobles and the church for financial and militant support. This confined their ability to accomplish goals for their nation without the approval of someone else. They lacked the capability to make any move without being consented by the nobles and/or church. This soon changed. When the Renaissance came around, scholars and thinkers started to develope new political ideas that influenced and encouraged the modern rulers. One such scholar was Machiavelli, who proposed

To many, the name Lorenzo de Medici just sounds like an irrelevant Italian man. At a closer look, Lorenzo was one of the most important people in the history of Italy. Born to Lucrezia Tornabuoni and Piero di Cosimo de ' Medici, Lorenzo ruled Florence from 1469 until his death in 1492 after his father’s death. He helped make Florence the most important city-state from 1469-1492. Lorenzo de Medici was the most important ruler of Florence because he formed political alliances to protect his people, he was a strong supporter of education, and he was an advocate to many great artists.

“He no doubt saw his work as a realistic account of political circumstance in his time and place” (80), though others did not meet eye to eye with him. It is also wise to take into account that Niccolo has been through quite a lot, and has seen quite a lot being tortured and imprisoned by the Medici family. One would think that this might have stirred him away from the ideals he imposed, but it seems to have only pushed those ideals further along.

Michelangelo’s era, the Renaissance was not a time of great social or economic change, only cultural and ideological development because it only affected a small portion of the population, which were the rich and powerful scholars that had more surplus money to spend on luxury goods like art and architecture. One of these families the Medicis rose to prominence and held the position of the Florence’s leading family for three centuries. The Medici family controlled the republican government and were the unquestioned leaders, Lorenzo the Magnificent the last to hold power and first Medici to be educated in the humanist tradition and was known as an important patron of the arts; Lorenzo gave Michelangelo the chance to become the magnificent artist he was. The humanist movement, one that

Italy can be looked at as the home of the renaissance and consequently the immergence of great art. Artists such as Michelangelo, Botticelli, Da Vinci, and Raphael are some of the greats and are looked at for standards. But what about the artists whose lives are mysteries, and their works that were influenced by the greats? These artists hold just as much importance in the history of art as do the artist’s whose names can be recalled off the top of an average person’s head. During the sixteenth century things began to change in the art world, and that change was the Baroque. This new style of art brought a revolution to how subject matter was painted, it brought upon “… a radical reconsideration of art and its purposes…” (249) and how artists of all ranks could learn to paint the up and coming style of Baroque.

The Medici family was the centre of the social network in elite families, with their various connections giving them even more

While researching many online sources about, The Medici family and specifically Lorenzo de Medici, I found several sites that had help me further my knowledge and understanding of Lorenzo de Medici and why he was influential during the Renaissance time period. I could not find all my information strictly on one sight because Lorenzo de Medici had many different fields of work and personal things that he had invested his time into to only find it on one source. Many of these sources often placed an emphasis on Lorenzo de Medici’s life and not what he would be remembered for. He has contributed so much to the culture and development of Florence and will forever be remembered as “Lorenzo the Magnificent” for a reason. He was a strong leader and

Florence was exposed to the principles and ideologies of foreign regions and immersed them into the art and literature produced thereafter. That then percolated to the rest of the other European nations and the rest of Italy itself. The Medici maintained these connections rooted and stable by way of finance and politics and guaranteed that Florence, throughout the Renaissance, was an advocate of the arts. Furthermore, had it not been for the establishment of a connection between the Medici and the Papacy, Florence and Rome, it seems, may have actually been rivals grown under the essence of partnership and collaboration during the Renaissance. Rome supplied many Florentine artists with a harbor, and, in turn, Florence took advantage of the administration of the papal funds.

Machiavelli writes a guidebook to the Medici and is just asking them of one thing: to follow his advice as he is worthy enough due to his numerous years of studying rule. He uses numerous literary devices to persuade the Medici but one that really stands out is analogies.The analogies in the book serve as a way to reveal a familiar situation to persuade the medici to take Machiavelli’s advice to help the Medici refine their craft. Because of the persuasive style of the text, Machiavelli is not an evil character but rather is boldly attempting to aid the Medici in ruling over Italy so they can be united in contrast to being split apart, and he does this through the analogies of the mapmaker, the skillful archer, and the river.

Through scholarly research of Florentine politics and daily life during the rule of the Medici, it is affirmed that Giralamo Savonarola used religion and fear to inhibit the progression of the Renaissance in Florence.

Medici Banking System The Medici family had little economic stature in their beginning when they first moved to Florence in the early 15th century which gave them cause to change their current position and earn a name and fortune for themselves. Their actions resulted in their family becoming one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the 15th century. The Medici family’s problem was not having sufficient funds when they first came to Florence.

Florence, Italy was a city just like any other during the Renaissance. It was city of 50,000 people, less than there were in Paris and Venice but more than most other European cities. The busiest parts of the city were the Ponte Vecchio, a place lined with markets and houses, the neighborhood of the Orsanmichele and Mercato Vecchio, or the Old Market. Florence was a place of beauty and leisure. A Venetian visitor once said, “There is in my opinion no region more sweeter than that wherein Florence is a placed for Florence is situated in a plain surrounded on all sides by hills and mountains…And the hills are fertile cultivated, pleasant…” (Unger, pg. 1). Florence was a very prosperous city; it made fortunes off of wool and

Is powerful woman behind the scenes, Catherine De Medici a power hungry ruler using her children as pawns in creating an Italian, French dynasty or loving mother who only wants her children to succeed in the world? Read on to see how we talk about her many characteristics and ways of ruling the

A post Middle Age Italy was afflicted by medieval wars and the bubonic plague. A change was needed to restore the vision of what Italy could become. This change was found within one family: the Medici’s, who helped to return the glory and influence to Florence. The Medici’s saw the value in contributing to the advancement of the greatest minds of the period. This was evident in their patronage of leading Artists such as Michelangelo and of renowned Teachers such as Galileo. The sphere of influence the Medici’s enjoyed also extended to the political arena, which happened to be heavily influenced by the Catholic Church at the time. The Medici’s were able to capitalize on the power of the Church and through this influence and the use of

The focus of this investigation will be “The Medici family supported the artists of the Renaissance era by providing them financial support, throughout mentorship and because of the prevailing philosophy and humanism.” This investigation will focus on the background of the Medici family and how they supported artists of the Renaissances era. This investigation will use a primary source from an artist's work and a secondary source relating to the Medici family uprising.San Lorenzo (church). Medici chapel. Tomb of Lorenzo de' Medici which held Sculptures by Michelangelo and Adrien, De Roover Raymond. The Rise and Decline of the Medici Bank, 1397-1494. Norton Library, 2012.Both sources provide background to the Renaissance time period and how the Medic family treated artists with their power. The two sources are examples of how the Medicis changed the renaissance era through their money and power to pursue artists for their own benefit and for the time periods.