House of Medici
Medici | |
---|---|
Catholicism | |
Motto | ("make haste slowly") |
Heirlooms | List |
Estate(s) | |
Dissolution | 1743original line) | (
Cadet branches | 14 cadet branches; still alive only 2: |
The House of Medici (English:
The Medici produced four popes of the Catholic Church—
The Medicis' wealth and influence was initially derived from the textile trade guided by the wool guild of Florence, the
The Medici Bank, from when it was created in 1397 to its fall in 1494, was one of the most prosperous and respected institutions in Europe, and the Medici family was considered the wealthiest in Europe for a time. From this base, they acquired political power initially in Florence and later in wider Italy and Europe. They were among the earliest businesses to use the
The Medici family have claimed to have funded the invention of the
History
The Medici family came from the agricultural
Rise to power
For most of the 13th century, the leading banking centre in Italy was
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. The Medici controlled the Medici Bank—then Europe's largest bank—and an array of other enterprises in Florence and elsewhere. In 1433, the Albizzi managed to have Cosimo exiled.[15] The next year, however, a pro-Medici Signoria (civic government) led by Tommaso Soderini, Oddo Altoviti and Lucca Pitti was elected and Cosimo returned. The Medici became the city's leading family, a position they would hold for the next three centuries. Florence remained a republic until 1537, traditionally marking the end of the High Renaissance in Florence, but the instruments of republican government were firmly under the control of the Medici and their allies, save during intervals after 1494 and 1527. Cosimo and Lorenzo rarely held official posts but were the unquestioned leaders.
The Medici family was connected to most other elite families of the time through
Members of the family rose to some prominence in the early 14th century in the wool trade, especially with
15th century
Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici (c. 1360–1429), son of Averardo de' Medici (1320–1363), increased the wealth of the family through his creation of the Medici Bank, and became one of the richest men in the city of Florence. Although he never held any political office, he gained strong popular support for the family through his support for the introduction of a proportional system of taxation. 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).[18]
The Medici additionally benefited from the discovery of vast deposits of alum in Tolfa in 1461. 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. Before the Medici, the Turks were the only exporters of alum, so Europe was forced to buy from them until the discovery in Tolfa. Pius II granted the Medici family a monopoly on the mining there, making them the primary producers of alum in Europe.[19]
Three successive generations of the Medici—Cosimo, Piero, and Lorenzo—ruled over Florence through the greater part of the 15th century. They clearly dominated Florentine
Piero de' Medici (1416–1469), Cosimo's son, was only in power for five years (1464–1469). He was called "Piero the Gouty" because of the gout that pained his foot and led to his death. Unlike his father, Piero had little interest in the arts. Due to his illness, he mostly stayed at home bedridden, and therefore did little to further the Medici control of Florence while in power. As such, Medici rule stagnated until the next generation, when Piero's son Lorenzo took over.[21]
The
In the dangerous circumstances in which our city is placed, the time for deliberation is past. Action must be taken... I have decided, with your approval, to sail for Naples immediately, believing that as I am the person against whom the activities of our enemies are chiefly directed, I may, perhaps, by delivering myself into their hands, be the means of restoring peace to our fellow-citizens. As I have had more honour and responsibility among you than any private citizen has had in our day, I am more bound than any other person to serve our country, even at the risk of my life. With this intention I now go. Perhaps God wills that this war, which began in the blood of my brother and of myself, should be ended by any means. My desire is that by my life or my death, my misfortune or my prosperity, I may contribute to the welfare of our city... I go full of hope, praying to God to give me grace to perform what every citizen should at all times be ready to perform for his country.
— Lorenzo de' Medici, 1479[25]
16th century
The exile of the Medici lasted until 1512, after which the "senior" branch of the family—those descended from Cosimo the Elder—were able to rule until the assassination of
Cosimo the Elder and his father started the Medici foundations in banking and manufacturing—including a form of franchises. The family's influence grew with its patronage of wealth, art, and culture. Ultimately, it reached its zenith in the papacy and continued to flourish for centuries afterward as Dukes of Florence and Tuscany. At least half, probably more, of Florence's people were employed by the Medici and their foundational branches in business.[citation needed]
Medici popes
The Medici briefly became leaders of
Leo X's fun-loving pontificate bankrupted Vatican coffers and accrued massive debts. 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.[citation needed]
Clement VII's tumultuous pontificate was dominated by a rapid succession of political crises—many long in the making—that resulted in the
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 France—the future King Henry II. 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.[citation needed]
In 1534, following a lengthy illness, Pope Clement VII died—and with him the stability of the Medici's "senior" branch. In 1535, Ippolito Cardinal de' Medici died under mysterious circumstances. 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 deaths of Alessandro and Ippolito enabled the Medici's "junior" branch to lead Florence.[citation needed]
Medici Dukes
Another outstanding figure of the 16th-century Medici family was Cosimo I, who rose from relatively modest beginnings in the
Ferdinando eagerly assumed the government of Tuscany. He commanded the draining of the Tuscan marshlands, built a road network in southern Tuscany and cultivated trade in
Despite all of these incentives for economic growth and prosperity, the population of Florence at the dawn of the 17th century was a mere 75,000, far smaller than the other capitals of Italy (i.e., Rome, Milan, Venice, Palermo, and Naples).[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.[30] The Grand Duke alone had the prerogative to exploit the state's mineral and salt resources, and the fortunes of the Medici were directly tied to the Tuscan economy.[30]
17th century
Ferdinando, although no longer a cardinal, exercised much influence at successive conclaves. In 1605, Ferdinando succeeded in getting his candidate, Alessandro de' Medici, elected Pope Leo XI. He died the same month, but his successor, Pope Paul V, was also pro-Medici.[31] Ferdinando's pro-papal foreign policy, however, had drawbacks. Tuscany was overrun with religious orders, not all of whom were obliged to pay taxes. Ferdinando died in 1609, leaving an affluent realm; his inaction in international affairs, however, would have long-reaching consequences down the line.
In France, Marie de' Medici was acting as regent for her son,
Ferdinando's successor,
Cosimo's elder son, Ferdinando, was not yet of legal maturity to succeed him, thus Maria Maddalena and his grandmother, Christina of Lorraine, acted as regents. Their collective regency is known as the Turtici. Maria Maddelana's temperament was analogous to Christina's, and together they aligned Tuscany with the
Grand Duke Ferdinado was obsessed with new technology, and had a variety of hygrometers, barometers, thermometers, and telescopes installed in the Palazzo Pitti.[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.[37]
Tuscany participated in the
Ferdinando died on 23 May 1670 afflicted by
Ferdinando's marriage to Vittoria della Rovere produced two children: Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and
18th century: the fall of the dynasty
Cosimo III married
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.[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.
The Medici lacked male heirs, and by 1705, the grand ducal treasury was virtually bankrupt. In comparison to the 17th century, the population of Florence declined by 50%, and the population of the grand duchy as a whole declined by an estimated 40%.[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. 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 restoration of the republic would entail resigning Siena to the Holy Roman Empire, but, regardless, it was vehemently endorsed by his government. Europe largely ignored Cosimo's plan. Only Great Britain and the Dutch Republic gave any credence to it, and the plan ultimately died with Cosimo III in 1723.[45]
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. By 1722, the electress was not even acknowledged as heiress, and Cosimo was reduced to spectator at the conferences for Tuscany's future.[46] On 25 October 1723, six days before his death, Grand Duke Cosimo disseminated a final proclamation commanding that Tuscany stay independent: Anna Maria Luisa would succeed uninhibited to Tuscany after Gian Gastone, and the grand duke reserved the right to choose his successor. However, these portions of his proclamation were completely ignored, and he died a few days later.
Gian Gastone despised the electress for engineering his catastrophic marriage to Anna Maria Franziska of Saxe-Lauenburg; while she abhorred her brother's liberal policies, he repealed all of his father's anti-Semitic statutes. Gian Gastone revelled in upsetting her.[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 Ruspanti, Gian Gastone's decrepit entourage, loathed the electress, and she them. Duchess
In 1736, following the War of the Polish Succession, Don Carlos was disbarred from Tuscany, and Francis III of Lorraine was made heir in his stead.[49] In January 1737, the Spanish troops withdrew from Tuscany, and were replaced by Austrians.
Gian Gastone died on 9 July 1737, surrounded by prelates and his sister. Anna Maria Luisa was offered a nominal regency by the Prince de Craon until the new grand duke could peregrinate to Tuscany, but declined.[50] Upon her brother's death, she received all the House of Medici's allodial possessions.
Anna Maria Luisa signed the Patto di Famiglia ("family pact") on 31 October 1737. In collaboration with the Holy Roman Emperor and Grand Duke Francis of Lorraine, she
The "Lorrainers", as the occupying forces were called, were popularly loathed, but the regent, the Prince de Craon, allowed the electress to live unperturbed in the
The electress donated much of her fortune to charity: £4,000 a month.[53] On 19 February 1743, she died, and the grand ducal line of the House of Medici died with her. The Florentines grieved her,[54] and she was interred in the crypt that she helped to complete, San Lorenzo.
The extinction of the main Medici dynasty and the accession in 1737 of
As a consequence, the grand duchy expired and the territory became a secundogeniture of the Habsburg-Lorraine dynasty. 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. The Habsburgs were deposed in favor of the House of Bourbon-Parma in 1801 (themselves deposed in 1807), but were later restored at the Congress of Vienna. Tuscany became a province of the United Kingdom of Italy in 1861. However, several extant branches of the House of Medici survive, including the Princes of Ottajano, the Medici Tornaquinci,[55] and the Verona Medici Counts of Caprara and Gavardo.[56] (see Medici family tree)
Legacy
The greatest accomplishments of the Medici were in the sponsorship of
After Lorenzo's death the puritanical Dominican friar
Later, in Rome, the Medici popes continued in the family tradition of patronizing artists in Rome. Pope Leo X would chiefly commission works from
Although none of the Medici themselves were scientists, the family is well known to have been the patrons of the famous
Main genealogical table
The table below shows the origins of the Medici:
This extract shows the branch that gave rise to the celebrated branch of the Medici descending from Giovanni "di Bicci", who founded the Medici fortunes:
Medico di Potrone (1046–1102) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bono di Potrone (1069–1123) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bernardo di Potrone (1099–1147) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Giambuono de' Medici (1131–1192) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chiarissimo de' Medici I (1167–1210) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Filippo di Chiarissimo de' Medici | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Averardo de' Medici I (fl. 1280) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Averardo de' Medici II (1270–1319) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Salvestro de Medici (il Chiarissimo III) (1300–1346) | Giovenco de' Medici (died 1320) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Averardo de' Medici III
(1320–1363) m. Jacopa Spini | Giuliano de' Medici (d. 1377) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici
(1360–1429) m. Piccarda Bueri | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Antonio de' Medici (?–1398) | Damian de' Medici (1389–1390) | Cosimo de' Medici (the Elder) (1389–1464) | Contessina de' Bardi (ca.1390–1473) | Lorenzo de' Medici (the Elder) (1395–1440) m. Ginevra Cavalcanti | Antonio de' Medici | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Piero I de' Medici (the Gouty) (1416–1469) Lord of Florence | Lucrezia Tornabuoni (1425–1482) | Carlo de' Medici (1430–1492) | Giovanni de' Medici (1421–1463) m. Ginevra degli Alessandrini | Francesco de' Medici (?–ca.1440) | Pierfrancesco de' Medici (the Elder) (1431–1476) m. Laudomia Acciaioli | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Giovanni de' Medici (ante 1444–1478) | Maria de' Medici (1445–1472) m. Leonetto de' Rossi | Semiramide Appiani | Giovanni the Popolano (1467–1498) m. Caterina Sforza | Bernardetto de' Medici (died 1475) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Contessina de' Medici (1478–1515) m. Piero Ridolfi | Giuliano de' Medici (1479–1516) Duke of Nemours | Giulio de' Medici (1478–1534) Pope Clement VII | Averardo de' Medici (1488–1495) | Ginevra de' Medici m. Giovanni degli Albizzi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ippolito de' Medici (1511–1535) Cardinal) | Pierfrancesco de' Medici (the Younger) (1487–1525) m. Maria Soderini | Laudomia de' Medici m. Francesco Salviati | Vincenzo de' Medici | Lorenzo de' Medici | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Giovanni dalle Bande Nere )(1498–1526) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Francesca Salviati m. Archbishop of Albi | Roberto Strozzi (ca.1512–1566) | Maddalena de' Medici (1523–1583) | Ottaviano de' Medici (1482-1546) m. Francesca Salviati | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cosimo I de' Medici (1519–1574) Grand Duke of Tuscany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Francesco I de' Medici (1541–1587) Grand Duke of Tuscany | Claude (1547–1575) m. Charles III of Lorraine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ferdinando I de' Medici (1549–1609) Grand Duke of Tuscany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Caterina de' Medici (?–1634) | Cosimo de' Medici (ca.1550–ca.1630) | Giuliano de' Medici | Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans (1607–1611) | Gaston, Duke of Orléans (1608–1660) | Henrietta Maria of France (1609–1669) m. Charles I of England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Angela/Angelica de' Medici (1608–1636) m. Pietro Altemps | Louis XIII of France (1601–r.1610–1643) | Anne of Austria (1601–1666) | Charles II of England (1630–r.1660–1685) | Mary Henrietta Stuart (1631–1660) m. William II of Orange | James II of England (1633–r.1685-88 –1701) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This is the branch of Cosimo's brother, Lorenzo, called the "Popolano" Branch, which gave rise to the Grand-Dukes of Tuscany:
Lodovico de' Medici (1498–1526) | Maria Salviati (1499–1543) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cosimo I (1519–1574) Grand Duke 1569–74 | Camilla Martelli (ca.1545–1634) | Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor (1503–r.1558–1564) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cesare d'Este | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ferdinando I (1549–1609) Grand Duke 1587–1609 | Don Giovanni de' Medici (1563–1621) | (Unnamed daughter) (1566–1566) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Eleanor de' Medici (1566–1611) m. Vincenzo I Gonzaga | Anna de' Medici (1569–1584) | Lucrezia de' Medici (1572–1574) | Antonio de' Medici (1576–1621) | Eleanor de' Medici (1591–1617) | Francesco de' Medici (1594–1614) | Filippino de' Medici (1599–1602) | Maria Maddalena de' Medici (1600–1633) | Charles II of Austria (1540–1590) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Romola de' Medici (1568–1568) | Isabella de' Medici (1571–1572) | Cardinal Bishop of Ostia | Lorenzo de' Medici (1600–1648) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Federico della Rovere (1605–1625) | Claudia de' Medici (1604–1648) | Leopold V of Austria (1586–1632) | Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (1578–r.1619–1637) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Francesco de' Medici (1614–1634) | Anna de' Medici (1616–1676) | Ferdinand Charles of Austria (1628–1662) | Leopoldo de' Medici (1617–1675) Cardinal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cosimo de' Medici (1639–1639) | Francesco Maria de' Medici (1660–1711) Cardinal | Philip William, Elector Palatine (1615–1690) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gian Gastone (1671–1737) Grand Duke 1723–37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Titles
List of heads of the Medici
Signore in the Republic of Florence
Portrait | Name | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
---|---|---|---|---|
Cosimo de' Medici (Pater Patriae) |
1434 | 1 August 1464 | Son of Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici who was not as prominently involved in Florentine politics, rather more involved in the financial area. | |
Piero I de' Medici (Piero the Gouty) |
1 August 1464 | 2 December 1469 | Eldest son of Cosimo de' Medici. | |
Lorenzo I de' Medici (Lorenzo the Magnificent) |
2 December 1469 | 9 April 1492 | Eldest son of Piero I de' Medici. | |
Piero II de' Medici (Piero the Unfortunate) |
9 April 1492 | 8 November 1494 | Eldest son of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Overthrown when Charles VIII of France invaded as a full republic was restored, first under the theocracy of Girolamo Savonarola and then statesman Piero Soderini. | |
Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici | 31 August 1512 | 9 March 1513 | Brother of Piero the Unfortunate, second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Elected to the Papacy, becoming Pope Leo X. | |
Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours
|
9 March 1513 | 17 March 1516 | Brother of Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici, third son of Lorenzo the Magnificent. | |
Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino | 17 March 1516 | 4 May 1519 | Nephew of Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours, son of Piero the Unfortunate. Father of Catherine de' Medici, Queen consort of France. | |
Cardinal Giulio de' Medici | 4 May 1519 | 19 November 1523 | Cousin of Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, son of Giuliano de' Medici who was the brother of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Elected to the Papacy, becoming Pope Clement VII .
| |
Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici | 19 November 1523 | 24 October 1529 | Cousin of Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, illegitimate son of Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours. |
Dukes of Florence
Portrait | Name | From | Until | Relationship with predecessor |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alessandro il Moro | 24 October 1529 | 6 January 1537 | Cousin of Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici, illegitimate son of Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino or Pope Clement VII. Acting signore during imperial Siege of Florence, made Duke in 1531. | |
Cosimo I
|
6 January 1537 | 21 April 1574 | Distant cousin of Alessandro de' Medici, Son of Giovanni dalle Bande Nere. dei Popolani line descended from Lorenzo the Elder , Brother of Cosimo de' Medici; also great-grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent through his mother, Maria Salviati, and his grandmother, Lucrezia de' Medici. 1569, he was made Grand Duke of Tuscany.
|
Grand Dukes of Tuscany
Coats of arms
The origin of the Medici coat of arms is not recorded. One unproven story traces their ancestry to a knight of Charlemagne's, Averardo, who defeated a giant, Mugello. 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.
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. That shield was red strewn with Byzantine coins (bezants).
As an Italian vocabulary word, "medici" means "medical doctors" and identifications with the family members as physicians may be found among their names as early as the eleventh century. Fanciful stories depict the images as pills or cupping glasses, a late-medieval medical instrument used to draw blood. Pills did not exist until much later and bloodletting was not a common practice at the time of the first Medici coat of arms. Art historian Rocky Ruggiero suggests plausibly however, that the images may represent whole ripe
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).[76] This particular influence offers an explanation for the red hue of the Medici balls, the colour of the terracotta sculpture. It would also have reflected the family's interest in Etruscan art and culture.[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.[78] Such favours would have included the wish for a strong and healthy family, both for the supplicant and their descendants.[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
-
Great coat of arms of Medici of Ottajano
-
Coat of Arms of the Grand-Duke of Tuscany
-
Coat of arms of Medici popes
-
Coat of arms of the Medici Cardinals
-
Coat of Arms of Catherine of Medici, as Queen of France
-
Coat of Arms of Maria of Medici, as Queen of France
-
Achievement of the House of de' Medici
See also
- Medici family tree
- List of popes from the Medici family
- Strozzi family (surviving), Pazzi family (extinct) rivals of the Medici
- Castellini Baldissera family (relatives of the Medici)
Notes
- ^ a b John Woodward, A Treatise on Ecclesiastical Heraldry, 1894, p. 162
- ^ Litta, Pompeo (1827). Famiglie celebri italiane. Medici di Firenze.
- ^ Luisa Greco (22 May 2015). "Cosimo de Medici e l'amore per le tartarughe con la vela". Toctoc. Archived from the original on 26 September 2020. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
- CollinsDictionary.com. HarperCollins. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
- ^ The family of Pius IV, the Medici of Milan, considered itself a branch of the House of Medici and was recognized as such by the Florentine Pope Clement VII and by Cosimo I 'de Medici in the early 16th century. Historians have found no proof of an actual connection between the Medici of Milan and the Medici of Florence, but this belief was widespread during the life of Pius IV and the Medici of Florence allowed the Medici of Milan to use their coat of arms.
- ^ "Medici Family – – Encyclopædia Britannica". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 27 September 2009.
- JSTOR 44083109.
- ^ "Music and the Medici – The Medici Archive Project" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2023-01-23. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
- ISBN 9788809036772– via Google Books.
- ^ The Medieval World – Europe 1100–1350 by Friedrich Heer, 1998 Germany
- BBC News Magazine Monitor—MED-uh-chee in American English.
- ^ Strathern, p 18
- ^ Kenneth Bartlett, The Italian Renaissance, Chapter 7, p. 37, Volume II, 2005.
- ^ "History of Florence". Aboutflorence.com. Retrieved 2015-01-26.
- ^ Crum, Roger J. Severing the Neck of Pride: Donatello's "Judith and Holofernes" and the Recollection of Albizzi Shame in Medicean Florence . Artibus et Historiae, Volume 22, Edit 44, 2001. pp. 23–29.
- S2CID 56166159. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-03-03.. This has led to much more analysis Archived 2021-09-10 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Machiavelli, Niccolò (1906). The Florentine history written by Niccolò Machiavelli, Volume 1. p. 221..
- PBSHome Video.
- ISBN 9781444192964.
- ^ a b The Prince Niccolò Machiavelli. A Norton Critical Edition. Translated and edited by Rober M. Adams. New York. W.W. Norton and Company, 1977. p. viii (Historical Introduction).
- ISBN 9781304581358. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
- ^ 15th century Italy.
- ^ Hibbard, pp. 177, 202, 162.
- OCLC 5613740.
- ^ Hibbert, The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall, 153.
- ^ a b Hale, p. 150.
- ^ Hale, p. 151.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Hale, p. 158.
- ^ a b Hale, p. 160.
- ^ Hale, p. 165.
- ^ Strathen, p. 368.
- ^ Hale, p. 187.
- ^ Acton, p. 111.
- ^ a b Acton, p. 192.
- ^ Acton, p. 27.
- ^ Acton, p. 38.
- ^ a b Hale, p. 180.
- ^ Hale, p. 181.
- ^ Acton, p. 108.
- ^ Acton, p. 112.
- ^ Acton, p. 182.
- ^ Acton, p. 243.
- ^ Strathern, p. 392.
- ^ Hale, p. 191.
- ^ Acton, p. 175.
- ^ Acton, p. 280.
- ^ Acton, p. 188.
- ^ Acton, p. 301.
- ^ Acton, p. 304.
- ^ "Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici – Electress Palatine". Retrieved 3 September 2009.
- ^ Acton, p. 209.
- ^ Acton, p. 310.
- ^ Acton, p. 309.
- ^ Feuer, Alan (4 May 2004). "Florence Journal; Where the Bodies Are Buried, Modern-Day Medici Feud, Alan Feuer, New York Times, May 4, 2004". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2017.
- ^ Hibbert, p. 60.
- ^ Howard Hibbard, Michelangelo (New York: Harper and Row, 1974), p. 21.
- ISBN 5-85050-825-2
- ^ Hibbard, p. 240.
- ^ Official site of the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno of Florence, Brief History (it. leng.)"Accademia delle Arti del Disegno". Archived from the original on 2009-06-03. Retrieved 2009-06-01.
- ^ Two more sons: Arrigo (?-?), Giovanni (?-?)
- ^ Three more sons: Talento (?-?), he had a son, Mario died in 1369, Mario had few unremarkable later generations; Jacopo (?-1340) who had a son, Averardo (fl. 1363); Francesco (?-?), who had a son, Malatesta died in 1367.
- ^ Four sons: Guccio (from which descended a line extinct in 1670 with Ottaviano), Filippo (?-?), Betto (fl. 1348), Ardinghello (fl. 1345).
- ^ One more son: Giovanni (fl. 1383). Giovanni had a son, Antonio (?-1396) and a nephew, Felice (?-?).
- ^ One son, Coppo, (?-?). Cfr. Mecatti, Giuseppe Maria; Muratori, Lodovico Antonio (1755). Storia cronologica della città di Firenze (in Italian). Vol. Parte prima. Naples: Stamperia Simoniana. p. 157. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
- ^ Two more brothers unknown.
- ^ Two more brothers: Andrea (*? †?), Bartolomeo (*? †?).
- ^ One more brother: Pietro (*? †?), line extinct.
- ^ One more brother: Giovanni (*? †?)
- ^ One more son: Francesco (†1552?)
- ^ One more son Bernardo (†1592?)
- ^ de Roover, Raymond (31 July 2017). The Medici Bank: Its Organization, Management, Operations, and Decline. Pickle Partners Publishing. pp. note 1.
- ^ Mackworth-Young, Rose (29 March 2012). "The Medici balls: Origins of the family's coat of arms". The Florentine (160). Florence: B'Gruppo Srl. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ^ Clare, Edward G. (1985). St. Nicholas: His Legends and Iconography. Florence: Leo S. Olschki. p. 76.
- ^ Ruggiero, Rocky, Ph.D., Rebuilding The Renaissance, Episode 93 – Florence: The Medici Dynasty Archived 2021-08-29 at the Wayback Machine, Making Art and History Come to Life, October 28, 2020, an audio file
- ^ Jelbert, Rebeca (2020). "The Medici Coat of Arms and Etruscan Votive Sculpture". The Coat of Arms: Journal for the Heraldry Society (UK). 3: 190–208.
- ^ Gáldy, Andrea (2009). Cosimo I de' Medici as Collector: Antiquities and Archaeology in Sixteenth-century Florence. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 46–47, 58.
- ^ Kent, Francis (2007). Lorenzo de'Medici and the Art of Magnificence. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 76.
- S2CID 163129780.
References
- ISBN 0-688-00339-7. a highly readable, non-scholarly general history of the family
- Miles J. Unger, Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de Medici, (Simon and Schuster 2008) is a vividly colorful biography of this true "renaissance man", the uncrowned ruler of Florence during its golden age
- Ferdinand Schevill, History of Florence: From the Founding of the City Through the Renaissance (Frederick Ungar, 1936) is the standard overall history of Florence
- Cecily Booth, Cosimo I, Duke of Florence, 1921, University Press
- ISBN 0-333-29315-0
- Paul Strathern, The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance (Pimlico, 2005) is an informative and lively account of the Medici family, their finesse and foibles—extremely readable, though with a few factual and typographical errors.
- Lauro Martines, April Blood: Florence and the Plot Against the Medici (Oxford University Press 2003) a detailed account of the Pazzi Conspiracy, the players, the politics of the day, and the fallout of the assassination plot . Though accurate in historic details, Martines writes with an anti-Medici tone.
- Accounting in Italy Archived 2006-06-20 at the Wayback Machine
- Herbert Millingchamp Vaughan, The Medici Popes. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1908.
- Jonathan Zophy, A Short History of Renaissance and Reformation Europe, Dances over Fire and Water. 1996. 3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2003.
- 2010 Assassins Creed Brotherhood:The Borga Family
Further reading
- Lucas-Dubreton, Jean (1961). Daily Life in Florence in the Time of the Medici. New York City: Macmillan Publishers.
- ISBN 978-0393058277.
External links
- The Medici Archive Project
- Prince Ottaviano de' Medici: Solving a 417-year-old murder mystery (May 4, 2004)
- The Moscow Florentine Society
- Medici Family Tree, featuring portraits and bios of key members of the Medici Dynasty, 1400–1737
- The Medici Family, History Channel. Retrieved 8 April 2016. The Medici Family
- The Medici Family of Florence