The Power of The House of Medici Essay

Giovanni De Bicci De Medici: Giovanni established political and financial power of the Medicis and was one of the richest bankers in Italy because he was also the Medici bank founder. Giovanni was the first Medici to really like the looks of art and decorate his house with it and support

* Lorenzo’s brother had been assassinated by a rival family, the Pazzi, who had long plotted with the pope against the Medicis which made Lorenzo a cautious ruler

Catherine de' Medici was a French lady who was married into the royal family at the age of fourteen in the sixteenth century. She was different than other women during this time period, and she enjoyed studying astrology and the arts. She was also the one who ordered the Tuileries to be built. She formed a very close relationship with the King and her father-in-law, King Francis I, and even named one of her children after him. However, her husband and the King's son, Henry, despised Catherine, and openly had an affair with another mistress named Diane. Despite this, he and Catherine still tried to have children, yet failed the first few years of their marriage. Catherine was shamed by the people for not having children at this point, and some

Lorenzo de Medici was born on January 1, 1449 in Florence, Italy. "Lorenzo The Magnificent” as he was called by the people of the place he resided was a statesman, ruler, and patron of the arts. "The Magnificent" was truly a common title of respect in Italy at the time, but it was Medici who raised it to special status. The merchant prince Lorenzo de' Medici, came to be the baron of florence at a young age tragically his father Piero died on Dec. 5, 1469, and 2 days later the 20-year-old Lorenzo was asked to become the newest authority figure in Florence. And In 1472 he won the hearts of all Florentines by saving the city from a famine that was imminently deadly. When there was also a bad harvest of that year, it threatened the population

Catherine de’ Medici was the Queen of France. She was Italian, but she lived in Paris France and even taught some of the French how to properly eat with a fork. Some foods such as artichokes, baby peas, candied vegetables puff pastry, and truffles would have never been introduced to the French cuisine without her. The fork was used in Italy when the rest of Europe looked at it as strange, but with her as royalty using it encouraged everyone else around her to try it as well. Her mother was a French princess making her royalty from the beginning although she did not start opening up with her ideas about food until after her marriage as some people think she did it to fit in. Catherine did her part to leave her mark during the renaissance in culinary history. Even in questionable times as when she could not conceive a child, it was thought to have been cured from her dietary style. Though she struggled with fertility, her dietary changes helped her to conceive nine children. When she moved, she brought a handful of reliable chefs with her to encourage this special diet to improve

Cosimo de’ Medici was born on September 27, 1389 in Florence, Italy at the time his family was middle class bankers. At a young age his father Giovanni, introduced his son to the family business of banking. As Cosimo grew older, he took on more duties in the family business and eventually became the head of the bank the family owned. When he was a young man he had an important relationship with the Catholic Church, at this time the Church was the dominant religious faith of Europe, the one most powerful men in Europe was the Pope. Cosimo recognized the important role of the Catholic Church and made a friendship with the Pope. After this relationship the Medici banks were handling most of the Church’s financial accounts. Some

His parents Ser Nastagio and Lisabetta Mini were friends of the powerful Medici family. Vespucci’s father was a notary in Florence and his brothers studied in the University of Pisa. Vespucci on the other hand, received a rich education from his paternal uncle since his father didn’t want him to be interested in cosmography and scholarship .

Shortly after the first branch of the bank opened, Pope John XXII became the pope who was an acquaintance of the Medici Family. While their friend was the pope, the family also had the role of being the main primary institution to the papacy. This resulted in the Medici being classified as having the most economic power. Pope Pius II stated, “He [Giovanni, Cosimo’s father] had left a great fortune to his sons, Cosimo and Lorenzo, and Cosimo had increased it to an incredible degree, extending his business transactions over all Europe and trading even as far as Egypt” (233). As a tactic, the Medici used capital to impact politics, incorporating their financial control towards the establishment of a system where political figures were dependent on them.

Although there were many attacks on Florence, Lorenzo risked his life for the safety of his people. There are many recorded occasions where Lorenzo formed alliances to protect his people. Around 1474, the new Pope, Sixtus IV decided to seize the small city of Imola for his nephew. Imola had been loosely under Florentine control. Once it was taken, Lorenzo was determined to take action and safeguard the towns near Imola. He formed an alliance with Venice and Milan in order to protect the peninsula 's peace. The alliance led the pope’s anger toward Lorenzo to grow, which lead to an assassination attempt against Lorenzo and his brother, Giuliano de ' Medici. Lorenzo survived with wounds, but Giuliano was killed.

Because of ths, Lorenzo went on many diplomatic missions at a young age, both with his father and alone. He traveled much and enjoyed audiences such as the people from Papal in Rome. Because of this upbringing, Lorenzo was very accustomed to the government and how to work in and with it. It also caused him to enjoy it very much. It was perfect for him to know tactics for later in his government career.

The political advantages of the bank also permitted the Medici family to maintain their control over Renaissance Florence. On an international level, the bank provided the Medici family a degree of favourable contact with the Pope and other Renaissance princes. The Medici thus relied on a system of diplomacy in which they attempted to cultivate and maintain personal ties with individual rulers. As historian Gene Brucker explains, “This [system of] personal diplomacy was most likely to succeed when it was reinforced by mutual interests; Medici loans to Francesco Sforza [the ruler of Milan] were repaid when the latter sent troops to Florence to thwart a revolutionary movement.” Milan was not the only state to trade the Medici political favours for bank loans. Economic historian Raymond de Roover, the author of the most comprehensive economic studies of the collapse of the Medici bank, also notes that male relatives of the Pope’s bankers (the Medici) received preferential treatment upon entering the holy orders, and were rapidly made bishops, cardinals, and in some cases, popes. Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici, for example, received the tonsure at age seven and became a cardinal at age fourteen because of the influence his father, Lorenzo il Magnifico, had with

With Giovanni’s death in 1429, there were those who tried to capitalize on the opportunity to displace the Medici family from its place in the social and political landscape of the time. One such opportunity was taken with the help of a wealthy rival, the Albizzi family, who put in motion a plot to have Giovanni’s son, Cosimo de Medici, arrested on accusations of treason and banished to Venice. This did not happen without consequences. With Cosimo’s exile he took with him a large source of Florentine capital, the Medici Bank. The Pope intervened and restored the Medici’s to power. Thus began Cosimo’s restoration of Florentine pride and the support of great artists that many admire today.

The Renaissance period was the period that was referred to as the "the rebirth" of Classical culture. During this era, many Italians believed that they observed the rebirth of antiquity or Greco-roman civilization (334). Throughout this time period, the art that came out was similar to the growth that happened in philosophy, literature, music and science. Renaissance art focused more on humans, the accurate portrayal of the natural world as well as the old architecture of the Romans. The Renaissance art was reflected politically because during this time, the cities were ruled by wealthy families. Families such as the Medici family were extremely powerful and influential during this time (335). In their prime days, the Medici family was considered the most influential money lenders and best bank in Europe (335).

The members of the Medici bank also did their work sitting on benches and behind tables. The first location was in Via dell Arte della Lana, also known as, Wool Guild Street. Since they were confronted with different currencies they took out a commission for the conversion of the currency instead of charging interest. Since no interest was applied, there was no sin. Little by little they started expanding into areas such as Florence, Venice, and Rome. The Medici bank was doing everything right. They soon grew to be a powerful financial unit in

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.