Many people consider the Medici to be the Godfathers of the Renaissance, but then again, many people do not.The Medici controlled the city of Florence all through the Renaissance. They had a large impact on the growth of the Italian Renaissance. They mainly helped through their patronage of the arts and humanism. In this essay readers will learn all about the Medici and how they gained their wealth and power, along with how they were beneficial to Florence. The Medici were very beneficial to Florence, in my opinion. The Medici family started out as bankers and wool merchants. Both businesses were very successful, making quite a bit of money, causing the family to become wealthy. The Medici were first brought to power by Giovanni de Medici in Florence, by opening the Medici bank. They are most known for their patronage of the arts. The Medici patronage has a major impact on the Renaissance, granting artists a chance to concentrate on their work without having to worry about money. The Medici supported many artists like Masaccio, Brunelleschi, Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, and Leonardo da Vinci. The Medici payed these artists to design and build things around Florence. …show more content…
The Medici family produced four Popes of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo X (1513–1521), Pope Clement VII (1523–1534), Pope Pius IV (1559–1565), and Pope Leo XI (1605). The Medici didn’t stop there, they also produced two Queens of France, Catherine de Medici (1529 - 1589), and Marie de Medici (1575 - 1642). Another important member of the family was Giovanni de Medici (1360 - 1429), because he was the one who founded the Medici bank which led the family to wealth. Cosimo de Medici started the Medici dynasty as the first leader of the Medici family in Florence. Last but not least, we have Lorenzo de Medici (1449 - 1492). Lorenzo ruled Florence and supported the artists Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Sandro