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→Historical Accuracy
====Key Plot====
The series begins with the poisoning of Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici and Cosomo de' Medici , his son, taking over the by then well known and established Medici bank. By this time, the business was flourishing and among the largest in Europe with branches in many cities. The family also had close connections with the papacy, as they were responsible for the finances of the Pope. Throughout the series, flashbacks show Giovanni training his children, Cosimo and Lorenzo, the family banking business and being very controlling of their lives, including who they could marry. Cosimo was influenced to marry Contessina de' Bardi, which ended up being a sometimes strained marriage, although Contessina was loyal to Cosimo. Lorenzo also had great tension with his father, also involving his love life.
Two key plots play throughout the first season. First, Cosimo was elected to an important seat in the Signoria of Florence, which was effectively its government. This caused great jealousy among his rivals, namely Rinaldo degli Albizzi, who headed the Albizzi family. The second key plot was the murder of Cosimo's father that was investigated by Marco Bella, a close family associate. The rising power of Cosimo creates great jealousy among some of the Signoria, with Rinaldo eventually successfully accusing Cosimo of usury. Although they fail to have Cosimo sentenced to death, he is exiled to Venice.
====Historical Accuracy====
The series has a mixed record in depicting historical events. Many of the buildings, for instance, the famous Florence Duomo, was shown, but the facade depicted was not built until the 19th century. The series takes liberty with some important historical facts, such as how characters, including Lorenzo, Giovanni, and Albizzi died, but in reality, all of them died a natural deathdeaths. Cosimo's wife probably was not as involved in politics as depicted, given that society was very patriarchal at this time, although she may have used some indirect influence. The Albizzi was shown as being against the type of art the Medici tried to promote and actively tried to stop work on the dome in the cathedral, but we know little about this.<ref>For more on the Medici family history and Florence's history, see: Hale, J. R. (2001). <i>Florence and the Medici</i> (New ed). London: Phoenix.</ref>
Other facts are at least partially accurate, such as the exile of Cosimo, the decision to exile AbruzziAlbizzi, and the war with Milan shown. Venice was, in fact, where Cosimo did go into exile. Furthermore, this likely was the main reason why Cosimo was invited back to Florence, as Cosimo had withdrawn his banking activities from Florence, helping to enrich Venice as capital began to flow there. The slave Cosimo obtains as a gift from Venice, Maddalena, did exist and he did, in fact, father a son with her, who did later become an important priest supported by the Medici family despite being illegitimate.<ref>For more on Cosimo's family history, see: Ewart, K. D. (2006). <i>Cosimo De’ Medici</i>. New York: Cosimo Classics.</ref>
The family's rise during Cosimo's father's time is accurate, and they did influence who became pope through manipulation of cardinals. It is not clear, however, that Giovanni was against patronizing the arts. He simply may have been more focused on enriching his family and establishing the bank. He likely did influence who his sons would marry, but this was not unusual for the time and most families would often marry their children off due to the influence of the family patriarch. It is true, however, that Cosimo began the tradition of patronizing the arts and architecture that the Medici family became known for in the Italian Renaissance. Indeed, Cosimo was one of the most important figures in the early parts of this period.<ref>See Kent 2006</ref>
