1,752
edits
Changes
no edit summary
==De Medici-Background==
The Medici family originally originate in a small village to the north of Florence. In the thirteenth century, the first Medici arrived in Florence. The family soon prospered in their new home. The early De Medici’s made their money in the wool trade. They used the profits that they made in the wool trade to diversify their business interests. Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici (c. 1360–1429), increased the wealth of the family and established the Medici Bank, and became one of the richest men in the city of Florence <ref> Hibbert, Christopher. The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall. Morrow (London, Morrow, 1975. The Medici became involved in politics and they were often involved with the popular party in Florence. In general, the Medici liked to influence politics from behind the scene and used their wealth and connections to achieve their goals. In 1434 Cosimo the Elder was elected as one of the leaders of the Florentine Republic and although he was only one of several magistrates who ruled the city he came to dominate it <ref> Ferdinand Schevill, History of Florence: From the Founding of the City Through the Renaissance (London, Frederick Ungar, 1936), p. 113</ref>. Cosimo was a very effective leader and was a skilled negotiator and he brought stability to the city and made it even wealthier. Prior to Cosimo the city had been regularly disturbed and unsettled by political factions and powerful families. Cosimo was succeed by his son Piero who had little of the abilities of his father. He died while still quite young and was succeed by his son Lorenzo, who is known to history as Lorenzo the Magnificent. He was a very capable ruler and brought peace and prosperity to Florence and its hinterland. However, the De Medici business fortunes began to falter and this was to ultimately weaken their hold on Florence. Lorenzo and the Medici survived a plot to kill them and seize power in 1474 <ref> Schevill, p. 115</ref>. After Lorenzo died, his son became head of Florence but he was incompetent and he provoked a popular uprising against the family and this led to their expulsion from Florence from 1494-1512. The Family was restored to Florence in 1512 and they eventually became the Dukes of Florence. However, the glory days were gone, the later de Medici was not as powerful or as rich as their predecessors and Florence became a political and cultural backwater<ref> Paul Strathern, The Medici—Godfathers of the Renaissance (London, Pimlico, 2005), p. 213 </ref>.[[File: Medici Three .jpg|thumbnail|200px|Cosimo De Medici]]
==de Medici and Florence==
In the 15th century when the de Medici were at the height of their powers they dominated Florence <ref> Lauro Martines, April Blood—Florence and the Plot Against the Medici (Oxford, Oxford University Press 2003, p. 114)</ref>. However, they were eager to appear as first among equals, they went to great lengths to allow the other noble and wealthy families to secure many of the offices in the City-Republic’s government<ref> Schevill, p. 115</ref>. This reconciled many of them to the domination of their Republic by one family. The de Medici were fabulously wealthy at least until the 1480s and their wealth was able to smooth out any difficulties that they had experienced. This meant that the City of Florence experienced a period of peace and stability. This was unique in the city’s history which was well-known for its political turbulence. The de Medici brought stability to the city and this allowed trade to flourish and also the arts. The stability that the de Medici provided allowed Florence to become a cultural center. The city’s artists and writers took advantage of the peace and stability to develop new styles of art in security. Then the de Medici were quite tolerant for the times<ref> Martines, p. 145</ref>. They were largely secular in outlook and their power meant that the city’s artists and writers did not have to fear from the Inquisition or clerical interference <ref>Schevill, p. 117</ref>. The Medici, especially Lorenzo the Magnificent were broad-minded, indeed Lorenzo was himself a distinguished poet and this led to an atmosphere where new ideas and practices were encouraged and even promoted in Florence<ref> Strathern, p. 117</ref>. The de Medic had long been associated with the Humanists. Lorenzo the Magnificent was himself taught by a well-known Humanist and was sympathetic to the aims of the movement. This meant that humanism and its ideas on human reason and capabilities flourished in the city. Indeed, many humanists such as De Valla were able to secure employment in the de Medici administration and added to the cultural life of the city<ref> Hibbert, p. 167</ref>.
