Medici Significant Member Family Tree
Medici Family(1434-1737)
Medici is the family name of a political dynasty that grew out of Florence, Italy. The family had a notable impact on the course of European history during the 300 years of their influence, beginning in the early 1400s.
The Medici initially gained power through wealth (rather than war), primarily through success in banking. They became de facto rulers of Florence in 1434 after Cosimo de’ Medici used his vast fortune to influence the democratically elected council of Florence.
In the 1400s, as the Italian Renaissance began to flower, the Medici contributed to its success by awarding commissions to those who would later become its great masters: Botticelli, Leonardo, and Michelangelo. Lorenzo the Magnificent, grandson of Cosimo, was a particularly noted patron of the arts.
In 1569, the Florentine republic became a hereditary monarchy with the appointment of Cosimo I, descendant of Cosimo the Elder’s brother, as the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. Also in the 1500 and 1600s, four popes and two queens of France were Medici heirs.
The last Medici ruler was Gian Gastone, the seventh Grand Duke of Tuscany, who died childless in 1737.
The Medici initially gained power through wealth (rather than war), primarily through success in banking. They became de facto rulers of Florence in 1434 after Cosimo de’ Medici used his vast fortune to influence the democratically elected council of Florence.
In the 1400s, as the Italian Renaissance began to flower, the Medici contributed to its success by awarding commissions to those who would later become its great masters: Botticelli, Leonardo, and Michelangelo. Lorenzo the Magnificent, grandson of Cosimo, was a particularly noted patron of the arts.
In 1569, the Florentine republic became a hereditary monarchy with the appointment of Cosimo I, descendant of Cosimo the Elder’s brother, as the first Grand Duke of Tuscany. Also in the 1500 and 1600s, four popes and two queens of France were Medici heirs.
The last Medici ruler was Gian Gastone, the seventh Grand Duke of Tuscany, who died childless in 1737.
med-i-chee/ˈmɛdɪtʃi/