Medici Family in Florence: History and Curiosity

La città di Firenze conserva numerose tracce del passaggio della Casata dei Medici, una delle famiglie nobiliari più potenti, importanti e influenti non solo del panorama cittadino, ma anche di quello regionale, italiano ed europeo nei periodi che vanno dal XV al XVIII secolo.

I Medici provenivano dal territorio del Mugello ed erano attivi nei settori della tessitura, della mercatura, dell’agricoltura.

The Medici Family: History

The first traces of their presence on the territory take us back to the 12th century.

The rise of the Medici Family began after the birth of the Medici Bank, founded by the banker Giovanni de’ Medici, also known as Giovanni di Bicci.

Over time, their wealth grew enormously and they became financiers of Edward IV of England in the campaign that led him to win the War of the Roses and of Francesco Sforza for the conquest of the Duchy of Milan.

Giovanni de’ Medici himself became a member of the Signoria of Florence. From that moment on, the entire Family began to gain greater influence from the citizens who supported them.

The turning point came when the Medici bank was chosen by the popes as their official bank.

This moment marks a true watershed between before and after: the Medici increased their power and wealth immeasurably.

At the same time, they were able to move skillfully and gain the support of the common people: they managed to do so by voting a property tax. It was a measure against the wealthier classes, just like theirs, which benefited the poorest.

The popularity of the Medici also grew thanks to donations and the commission by Giovanni de’ Medici to Brunelleschi to renovate the Church of San Lorenzo.

The power and influence of the Family were maintained by Giovanni’s son Cosimo and later by Lorenzo, Cosimo’s nephew.

The latter commissioned the construction of the Palazzo Medici to Michelozzo Michelozzi, founded the first public library in San Marco, entrusted Brunelleschi with the construction of the Cathedral dome, financed Donatello, Fra Filippo Lippi and Fra Angelico.

Lorenzo was the absolute protagonist, increasing the impact that the Medici had on Florence, from a political and economic point of view.

He earned the title of Magnificent and became one of the most important promoters of art and culture in the city. He financed artists such as Michelangelo and Botticelli.

However, he was the least gifted of the family in business: during his government the family bank collapsed miserably following the mismanagement of loans.

A further blow came with Lorenzo’s eldest son, Piero: he totally lost the family fortune and caused the collapse of the house in 1494.

It was Piero’s younger brother, Giovanni, who resolved the fate of the family by becoming Pope Leo X as well as a strong financier of the local arts and culture.

According to many historians, during this period the Medici Family reached its highest peak.

In 1532 Pope Clement VII (also belonging to the Medici Family) appointed Alessandro de’ Medici Duke of Florence and perpetual Gonfaloniere of the Republic.

For the first time the Family had a hereditary noble title, an authentic seal that certified the role of citizen lords.

The last act of the Medici family was accomplished in 1737 with the so-called “Family Pact”: Anna Maria Luisa defined an agreement with the Habsburg-Lorraine successors to prevent the latter from impoverishing the artistic heritage accumulated by the Medici family over the centuries.

The pact was not fully respected, but it still allowed the city of Florence to preserve the vast majority of works now kept at the Uffizi Museum, Palazzo Pitti and the Laurentian Library.

The Medici family and religion

The Medici family gave four popes to Rome. They are

Leo X: 1513 – 1521;
Clement VII: 1523 – 1534;
Pius IV: 1559 – 1565;
Leo XI: 1-27 April 1605.

Medici family, curiosities

Leo X financed the restoration of St. Peter’s Basilica;
The Medici family ruled Florence for more than 300 years;
In exile: most of the family spent their lives in exile. Piero II was exiled to France in 1494; five years later the entire family had to move following a revolt;
Alessandro de Medici’s nickname was Il Moro (The Moor) because of his darker skin color than the other family members;
The Medici had two queens of France: Catherine de’ Medici, wife of King Henry II, and Maria de’ Medici, wife of King Henry IV;
Galileo Galilei named many discoveries after the children of the Medici. This happened, for example, with the discovery of the four moons of Jupiter, called “Medici Stars”;
George William Bush, former President of the United States, is a descendant of Catherine de’ Medici.

Medici Family, the symbol

The symbol of the Medici Family is a coat of arms depicting six balls, which change in number depending on the historical period.

Its origin is told in various legends:

According to one legend, the balls would be the footprints that the progenitor of the Averardo family left with the giant club of Mugello;
Others maintain that these balls depicted oranges, defining a connection with the trade that the Medici had with the East;
Another legend considers the balls as medicinal pills, therefore referring to the name of the Family;
The most accredited legend suggests that the coat of arms derives from the insignia of the Arte del Cambio, to which the Medici were enrolled since their arrival in Florence.

The places of the Medici Family in Florence

Which are the places of the Medici Family in Florence?

Which locations, palaces and museums should you visit to find traces of the family?

Let’s discover the most important ones:

Palazzo Medici Ricciardi: commissioned by Cosimo Il Vecchio, it is an example of Renaissance architecture, with two asymmetrical doors, a courtyard and a typical Italian garden;
Palazzo Vecchio: overlooking Piazza della Signoria, it was the home of Cosimo I for a long time. The original name Palazzo della Signoria changed to Palazzo Vecchio following Cosimo I’s transfer to Palazzo Pitti;
Vasari Corridor: commissioned by Cosimo I, it connected Palazzo Pitti with Palazzo Vecchio. Today it connects the Uffizi Gallery with the Boboli Gardens;
Basilica of San Lorenzo: it was the parish of the Medici family for a long time. It houses the toma of Cosimo de’ Medici;
Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana: it houses over 3,000 manuscripts that belonged to the Medici family and was built by Pope Clement VII;
Piazza della Santissima Annunziata: located in the historic center of Florence and considered by many to be the most beautiful in the city, it is embellished with the equestrian monument of Ferdinando de’ Medici; The Hotel Orto de’ Medici: where the hotel garden now stands, there was once the Garden of San Marco, an artistic school commissioned by Lorenzo the Magnificent.