The Medici – Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance

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The House of Medici, chronicles the life, rise and fall of the De Medici dynasty from the early 15 century through the renaissance and the prominence of Florence on the European and world stage. A family heritage deeply rooted in banking, Finance and Commerce, are elevated to become a prominent family in Italian politics. The story is interwoven with the greatest renaissance artists Leonardo DaVinci, Donatello, Michelangelo who were nurtured and championed by Lorenzo De Medici earning him the title of patron of arts and Godfather of the renaissance. As history has it, the powerful dynasty falls, is strengthen and weakened through the years and with the appointment of two Popes their fate cannot be reversed. In Medici, the rivalry between the Pazzi and the Medici families plays a central role in Season 2. In Portrait of a Conspiracy by Donna Russo Morin, the first novel in her Da Vinci Disciples series, the murder of a Medici ignites the powder keg that consumes a Florence under the iron rule of the powerful Medici family. Amidst the chaos, five women and the legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci weave together a dangerous plot that could bring peace or get them all killed. You can see Venus and Marsat the National Gallery in London and Primaveraand Birth of Venus atthe Uffiziin Florence. This novel draws the reader into the Renaissance to walk the streets of Florence, meet its famous men, loiter awhile in Botticelli’s workshop, and see one of the world’s greatest paintings grow from first sketches through to finished panel, even as daggers are drawn and blood spills. Both Donatello and Botticelli appear in the Medici series. Donatello shows up in Episode 1 of Season 1 to encourage the young Cosimo de’ Medici who aspires to become an artist. Sandro Botticelli appears in Season 2 of Medici. One of his most beloved paintings is Venus and Mars which has a role to play in Season 2, but I promise not to share any spoilers.

Lorenzo wins the battle of dynasties and survives the Pazzi conspiracy led by Jacopo de'Pazzi (played brilliantly by Sean Bean in the television series) largely because of the connection and relationship he has with the people of Florence. He is noted for his kindness, fair-mindedness, and highly regarded principles. Nevertheless Lorenzo's punishment of the Pazzi family and its supporters (including an archbishop) for having killed his brother and for the attempted murder on his life, earned him the wrath of the Holy See and so Florence was put under interdict, but with little effect. One of the most surprising things I learned in this book was about the corrupt lives of many of the popes and cardinals who served the Roman Catholic Church. Hibbert describes many selfish and debauched men who held these offices. Not at all what I imagined. If you want to know who the Medici really were, these are the books you should start with.They are filled with vivid details and well-told stories and are indispensable reads for fans of the Medici family. They also paint a picture of Renaissance life in Florence which is interesting if you’re planning a visit to the city. 3 Top Books about the Medici family You’ll learn what was it like to live in Florence, and why they had so many enemies like the Albizzi. You’ll find out which artists they supported, their ailments, their politics within Europe, their first cautious steps into the Florentine Republic and the creation of the Gran Ducato with Cosimo I. Finally you’ll see how the family line slowly declined.So it is for Filippo Lippi growing up in Renaissance Florence. He has a talent - not only can he see the beauty in everything, he can also capture it, paint it. But while beauty can seduce you, and art can transport you, it cannot always feed you or protect you.

Anyone who has more than a passing knowledge of/interest in European History will have heard of the Medici family, although I am ashamed to admit that I was unaware of just how long they had their hands on the reins of Florentine (and wider) society. Hollingsworth has a writing style that is relatively easy to follow, and the layout of the book, giving each generation its own chapter (with a brief overview as part of the chapter heading) is a nice touch. Born in Florence around 1445 (the exact date is unknown), Botticelli belonged to the Florentine school of painters under the patronage of Lorenzo de’ Medici. Botticelli appears in Season 2 of Medicias a friend of Lorenzo’s and plays a fairly significant role in some episodes. So if, like me, you are a fan of the work of such 14th-century Florentine masters as Botticelli and Donatello, you’ll be well entertained by Medici.

3 Top Books about the Medici family

This is a particularly difficult story to tell as it spans several centuries, a huge range of characters from the Medici themselves to foreign royalty as well as all the great artists of the era and a fundamentalist preacher in Savonarola who would nearly bring them down. Florence's gold coin, the florin, became a standard currency across Europe in the 14th century). And the Medici bank grew into the most powerful in Europe in the 15th century, with branches in Rome, Venice, Naples, Milan, London, Geneva. Even the Vatican was a major client.

I am conflicted. I love the Medici, history of the renaissance, and schemes involving the Catholic Church, and this book serves all those. Strathern writes well, in an interesting fashion, presenting the family’s rise to glory and the following fall from it in a highly entertaining way, and I did enjoy learning so much. It was decorated with frescos by Giorgio Vasari, a prominent Florentine painter, architect, and art historian. Behind the Vasari frescos, the hall may hold a l ost Leonardo da Vinci fresco. What could possibly be so valuable about the picture? As friends and clients are slaughtered around her, Luciana turns to the one man who has never desired her beauty, novice librarian Brother Guido. Fleeing Venice together, Luciana and Guido race through the nine cities of Renaissance Italy, pursued by ruthless foes who are determined to keep them from decoding the painting’s secrets. Although Botticelli painted numerous religious subjects and some portraits, he’s best known for his mythological subjects. These include his masterpieces Primavera, Birth of Venus,and Venus and Mars(which, as mentioned, appears in Medici).Thomson’s novel is set at the tail-end of Medici dominance, in a Florence that has become the bloodstained, riotous playground of Cosimo III. Cleverly built around the great Sicilian master of anatomical waxes Gaetano Zumbo, summoned to the city to work, the narrative evokes the sinister magic of Renaissance Florence to perfection. Zumbo’s masterly plague pieces and gruesome wax dissections are still on display in the strange and marvellous museum of La Specola. Strathern does an excellent job of writing a popular history in a way that is simultaneously engaging and informative. I feel like I have a much better understand of the Medici than I did previously. It is an excellent popular history to introduce centuries of a fascinating family. Celá Florencia je touto históriou poznačená, a Hibbert si to dobre uvedomuje. Preto nájdete okrem podrobných líčení kto-s kým-kedy-kde aj informácie o umelcoch, čo rodine Medici slúžili, aj primary sources z listov pápežov a vždy, keď sa spomenie nejaký kostol / obraz / socha, máte na konci knihy poznámky. Práve tie robia z knihy skutočne "živú históriu" - Hibbert ponúkne detailnejšie info o umelcoch / diele samotnom a aj popis, kde sa toto dielo v súčastnosti nachádza. 6/10 v Uffizi a inak dostanete presný návod ako sa na tú-ktorú ulicu dostať. This a hard one to review, because for a certain type of reader "The Family Medici" is a very good read -- and I happen to be that kind of reader.