House of Medici

power and energy and blame the Medici by stating that they were starting to stifling freedoms and power for themselves. This misconception leads to the public’s approval for authority to diminish drastically. Support for this transformation of the government grew with one of the “principal condition for an effective republic restoration was; however, that private citizens should no longer be able to exercise control over the government” (5-5). Although the Medici family was a strong component…

Catherine de Medici was an Italian-born, French queen who became very powerful and even more controversial during her time at the helm of France. Orphaned as an infant, used as a pawn in her family's vicious power games, saddled with an unfaithful husband, and forced to suffer the untimely deaths of several of her children, Catherine managed to maintain control of the true power of the French throne in an effort to protect her family and preserve her birthright. Her methods of doing so,…

“O human race born to fly upward, wherefore at a little wind dost thou fall.” With his allegorical writing style, Dante Alighieri revolutionized literature in the renaissance period with masterpieces such as Dante’s Inferno. Dante Alighieri was born on May 21, 1265 in Florence, Italy. He was born to a wealthier family and had a good education as he learn poetry, philosophy, and many other literature skills he used in his writing. From the outside, his life looked perfect though his mother…

rich merchants who spent large amounts of money patronizing artists, the most famous of which are the Medici (Frey 315). Events like the Great Schism and the Reformation weakened the Catholic Church (Jensen 193) which had been the center of life in the Medieval era (Frey 31). The Medici Family had more influence on Italian culture and society than the Catholic Church during the Renaissance. The Medicis were one of the richest families in Europe. Originally middle class bankers from Florence,…

Saint Aloysius Gonzaga Although Saint Aloysius Gonzaga has passed, his influence, story, and legacy will not be forgotten. Aloysius Gonzaga was born on March 9th, 1568. He was born in Italy to a family of power. Throughout Gonzaga’s life he endured major sickness, a conversion to the Jesuits, and a death caused by disease. Saint Gonzaga’s legacy has been remembered to this day through the naming of numerous schools and a university (“Society of Jesus”). Although his life was cut short by…

The Medici commissioned several frescos throughout Florence depicting The Adoration of Magi, which portrayed the Medici on a level equal to biblical figures. This imagery clearly would have resonated with people who saw it, as the artwork as meant to display the prevalent power and importance of the Medici and their allies (Gilbert). This implementation of propaganda through architecture would have proven…

Florence was one of the five major city states that rose as a result of the “Dark Age” and black plague. After this, the guild system was rarely used and wealthy, powerful families began to rule (which in Florence was the Medici family). Florence played a major role in the Renaissance because it encouraged and promoted art and culture; it became the center for literature and art and supported those writers and artists affluently. Patrons were the largest supporters for scholars, writers, and…

In a time when ideology and convictions were shaped by the church, a new ideology was on the horizon that would begin the revolutionary transformation of the western world into what we know as the renaissance period. This new way of thought was brought about due to certain doctrines of the Catholic church that was viewed as uncanonical and dogmatic. The idealistic movement of Renaissance humanism’s spread throughout first Florence and then western Europe was greatly due to men with common…

Commercial transactions were another form of income for the Medici. They spread out their accounts by dealing in many items, for example: wool, cloth, silk, spices, olive oil, and fruits. The Medici style of banking was sometimes done in the dark. They would use the complicated and confusing banking system to their advantage, when dealing with large sums of money. They would separate their accounts for each business venture they went into, and each account was charged with all the costs,…

The Medici Family The Medici family influenced politics in Italy for 300 years and can be traced back to the end of the 12th century. They belonged to the aristocratic class and not nobility, the family gained its fortune through banking and commerce and acquired great wealth by the 13th century. The first Medici to get notable political influence was Salvestro de’ Medici who was the gonfaliere during the 14th century, he led a revolt against the ciompi and became the dictator of the city,…