Medici Family origins We don't know much on the origin of the Medici family, generally we suppose they come from Mugello, the countryside north of Florence, where they owned lands. The first trace of the Medici in Florence is a tomb inside the old Cathedral of Santa Reparata: the man in the tomb is Giovanni de Medici, gonfaloniere in the Republic of Florence around 1350. We don't even know much about their name: Medici is the plural for medico, in English: doctor. Anyway, like many … [Read more...] about Medici family – Rulers of Florence Italy
History
The age of Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) was a Florentine poet, who wrote the greatest ever Italian poem: the Divine Comedy. When Dante was born, Florence Italy was the largest European city and also the richest: in a continent dominated by the feudal system, merchants and bankers from the Republic of Florence made huge profits importing wool and exporting precious fabric. Family driven companies were in competition not only to make more profits, but also to gain control of the Republic … [Read more...] about The age of Dante Alighieri
Medici Godfathers of the Renaissance (Youtube videos)
Recently I watched this interesting documentary about the Medici family history on History Channel: "Medici Godfathers of the Renaissance", but I just realized that the entire series (4 episodes) is on Youtube and this allowed me to watch them a second time and make notes on the flaws this documentary has. I remember some strange things in the documentary, that either I didn't like or were not fitting what I know about Florence Italy history and the Medici family, so I decided to do some … [Read more...] about Medici Godfathers of the Renaissance (Youtube videos)
Francesco I de Medici – The Grand Duke of Tuscany
This article will follow the life of Francesco I de Medici, who was the Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1574 until 1587. He was only the second grand duke ever to bless the house of Medici, and he lived quite an intriguing life. Francesco de Medici was born on March, 25th 1541; in one of the villas of Medici (within Poggio a Caiano, Tuscany). He was the first son of Cosimo I de' Medici; who was the Grand Duke of Tuscany and Eleanor of Toledo. Francesco was a regent for his reigning father beginning … [Read more...] about Francesco I de Medici – The Grand Duke of Tuscany
Life of Pietro Perugino
When walking through the rooms of the Uffizi Gallery, it's not easy to find a painter who was not born in Tuscany. The first big name comes in room 15, a room where everybody stops to see the Annunciation by Leonardo Da Vinci, but that also contains the works of Perugino. … [Read more...] about Life of Pietro Perugino
Ferdinando I de Medici
Few members of the Medici family have been discussed as much as Ferdinando I de Medici. He became Grand Duke of Tuscany after the sudden death of Francesco, his brother, and some believe Ferdinando organized a conspiracy to take possession of the throne. … [Read more...] about Ferdinando I de Medici