The family Medici (correct: de' Medici) was in the Florenz 15. and 16. Century of one of the most influential factors in the fight for power, wealth and reputation. By skillful Taktieren and a merciless ascended it from an insignificant wealthy family to an Italian great power.

Family history

Origin of the wealth of the Medici was the textile trade, which was operated by the Gilde Arte della Lana; Basis of their power became their relationship with the florentinischen people's party, the Popularen. On this basis they justified a modern banking and dominated - also by their relations with the papacy - the European financial world at that time. By the of the Medici and further northItalian buyers and banker developed Florenz, Venice, Milan, Genova and also Rome to the cultural and economical metropolises of the well-known world at that time and coined/shaped (and/or made possible only) the age of the Renaissance.

The Medici originating from the Florentiner surrounding countryside leave themselves for the first time in the 2. Half 13. Century as office holders in the Gilde and the city prove. With Salvestro di Alamanno (1331-1388), that the attack against the revolt of the Ciompi (to see Ciompi rebellion) led and dictator of Florenz became (it was banished 1382) to step it for the first time into the footlights. With his nephew Giovanni di Bicci de Medici (1360-1429) began the ascent of the family: it became the banker of the Pope and the mediator or Taktierer between the city aristocracy (Albizzi) and the people.

The older branch of the family, the Medici di Cafaggiolo (royalmedici), controlled thereafter than city gentlemen Florenz until 1537 with two interruptions: 1494-1512 and 1527-1530), among them above all Cosimo de Medici, mentioned "IL Vecchio ", the old person, (1389-1464), who 1434 with the title "gran maestro "as an unofficial head of state the republic one recognized, and its grandchild Lorenzo de Medici, mentioned "IL Magnifico ", the magnificent one (1449-1492).

The ascent of the family became also by Lorenzos third son Giuliano IITH de Medici, who was the first noble one of the family as a duke of Nemours, above all however by his second son, Giovanni, as Leo X. the first Pope (1513-1521) from the family, who nearly directly after it its cousin Giulio followed as Clemens VII. (1523-1534), was clearly however in the city long time disputed.

Lorenzos brother and Mitregent Giuliano Ith de Medici fell 1478 of a conspiracy of the Pazzi to the victim. Its oldest son Piero IITH de Medici was driven out 1494 with the establishment by Girolamo Savonarolas "God state ", and only 1512 succeeded to its son Lorenzo IITH de Medici the return, which 1527 a renewed driving out followed. Only with the help of the Pope Clemens VII. and the emperor was possible it following the coronation/culmination emperor Karls V. 1530 in Bologna to cancel this second driving out from the Republic of Florenz (1527-1530), renewed briefly thereafter.

The transformation of the republic into a monarchy was not to be stopped however. Lorenzo II. had been appointed 1516 by his uncle, Pope Leo X. the duke of Urbino, its illegitimate son Alessandro de Medici (also the son of the Pope Clemens VII. to be can) governed since 1523 up to its driving 1527 out the Republic of Florenz similarly a prince, after its re-instatement starting from 1531 openly as of the emperor more appointed "duke of the republic ". In addition, its murder 1537 by Lorenzino de Medici, relatives, is understood as last flickering of the republic, can have been simple the insulted vanity during a hereditary regulation of a neglect. Lorenzos daughter, Alessandros half sister, was Caterina de Medici, who married 1533 the French king Heinrich II. Alessandro had married 1536 with Margarete of Parma an illegitimate daughter emperor Karls.

After death Alessandros became generally accepted of this favored Cosimo I. from the recent line of the Medici. Since 1537 as a duke in Florenz and since 1569 as a papal Grand Duke of the Toskana (the title was confirmed 1575 to the Grand Duke Francesco Ith of its brother-in-law emperor Maximilian II.) he had introduced the heritability of the Medici rule. Its descendants, under which above all Cosimo IITH (1590-1621) as Galileo Galileis, and Maria de Medici, who stand out daughter Francescos and wife of the French king Heinrich IV., governed the Toskana up to their becoming extinct 1737.

After the death of the last Grand Duke his survivor sister Anna Maria Louisa de Medici (1667-1743) bequeathed the collected art treasures of the Medici of the city Florenz. The Grand Duchy ignored - according to an agreement between European powers - on Franz Stephan of Lorraine, the married man Maria Theresias and later emperor, who handed for it its duchy to France over.

Network-analytic research to the Medici

An important network-analytic study of John Padgett and Christopher Ansell shows that a basis for the ascent of the Medici was the special structure of their relations net between the years 1400 and 1434 after the Ciompi rebellion. The network of the Medici shows a separation from Heirats and economic relations with the relations of the Medici in their party. Thus they acted with the ascending married however mainly into noble families, which did not come from their quarter of San Giovanni. This led to the fact that they held in their party, differently than the Oligarchen, thus the dominant elite around the Albizzi, a central and powerful position and were not extortable by other families.

See also: History of Florenz

Art, architecture and science

The largest achievements with the help of the money of the Medici were achieved in art and architecture. Giovanni di Bicci promoted Masaccio and assigned Filippo Brunelleschi 1419 the re-establishment of the Basilica di San Lorenzo di Firenze, who grave-put to the Medici became. The artists, whom Cosimo de Medici had around itself, were Donatello and Filippo Lippi. Their most important contribution was however the promotion me long lot, which for a set of family members worked, beginning with Lorenzo de Medici, with whom it divided the midday table. At his time such artist and scholar were promoted to Florenz like Demetrios Chalkondylas, Angelo Poliziano, Christoforo Landino, Giovanni pico della Mirandola, Francesco Granacci, Sandro Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci. Over the pure agency of artists outside the Medici was also successful collecting tanks, whose acquisitions form today the core of the Uffizien, the art museum of the city Florenz.

In architecture some important buildings decrease/go back in Florenz to the Medici, beside the Basilica di San Lorenzo

• the termination work to cathedral Santa Maria del Fiore, which large church their time, with which Cosimo de Medici Brunelleschi assign, and which 1436 lock can.
• the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, begun 1444, builds from Michelozzo.
• the Palazzo Pitti, which Eleonora de Toledo, Cosimos wife, acquired 1550 of Buonaccorso Pitti,
• the Uffizien, which established Giorgio Vasari on behalf of Cosimo I. 1560,
• the 1562 created Accademia dell' Arte del Disegno (in that today the original of me long lot "David "stands)
• the Boboli garden behind the Palazzo Pitti,
• the Belvedere,
• the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana

Investigations of the Medici graves

At the end of April to 2004 Italian scientists began to open the graves of altogether 49 members of the family. A goal is it, the exact causes of death to investigate diseases as well as nourishing habits of the members. First different tombs in the Medici chapels as well as in the church San Lorenzo were opened. Equal to beginning of the investigations a sensational discovery was made: Under the Gruft of Gian gas clay/tone so far a not well-known crypt was discovered, in which eight corpses were found. The Italian scientists try to find out now, under which circumstances the dead ones - under those also children and young people are - died and why they were hidden bestattet. It is accepted that it likewise concerns thereby member of the Medici sex.

Articles in category "Medici"

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