Cosimo de’ Medici was an Italian man who was around during the Renaissance. He was one of the sons of Giovanni di Bicci. He was born on September 27, 1389 in Florence, Italy. He was a member of the house of Medici, who gained wealth and power in the 13th century through their success in commerce and banking. In the 15th Century the Medici bank was the most important financial institution in Europe. Cosimo’s work with the bank was influenced the renaissance: He made the bank “peak,” got arrested and impacted the renaissance.
Cosimo de' Giovanni degli Mèdici was the main reason why the bank hit its “Peak.” This happened because he traded with the right people. during this time, Florence was divided into two classes. There was the middle
class and the upper class. Cosimo took from the upper class and gave to the middle class, just like his family had done for years and years, before he even was in charge. you could say that he was robbing the rich to give to the poor. Most of the money he took was from the rich people who ruled the middle class. He would also buy small items of high value and sell them to the rich. By doing this he was gaining favor with the middle class and loss it with the upper class. Due to the upper classes frustration with what Cosimo was doing, they had him arrested for his actions and wanted him put to death. These people wanted him arrested because they were threatened by the amount of power he had and they did not like that he was taking there money from them. He used his family money to make a complex network of alliances that worked in his favor and hurt his competition. He loaned money for favors and within years of taking control he had control of almost every business in Florence. Cosimo due to his power in banking was a wealth man therefore he had money to purchase art. he was also known to be an art collector. He was an important buyer of renaissance art. He was huge financial support of sculptor Donatello and architect Brunelleschi. He also hired the architect Michelozzo to rebuild the monastery of San Marco and motivated Fra Angelico to do his art.
“I’ll be out of here and away from all you knaves for one time anyway, as not a month will pass before you’ll see whether I’m nobody or a somebody.” The story of Bianco Alfani reflected the nature of 14th century Florentine society where, as Alfani remarked, the election to public office could make or destroy a person. In late 14th century and early 15th century Florence, decreased population and expanding commerce provided a favorable environment for ambitious individuals. The real life examples of Buonaccorso Pitti and Gregorio Dati demonstrated the positive role of ambition in Florence. Pitti, a nobleman had an extremely successful career, partaking in military campaigns, holding public office in Florence and being an ambassador to foreign courts. Gregorio Dati, the grandson of purse venders, engaged in commerce, rising in social standing which culminated with his election to public office. Holding office was a definitive sign of success and recognition in Florence. In contrast was the tale Bianco Alfani, a deemed man unworthy of office. As told by Piero Veneziano, Alfani was the chief jailor in Florence who was duped into believing he had been named captain of the town of Norcia. Alfani publicly made a fool of himself, spending all his money and creating a great fanfare over his supposed appointment. Comparing the lives of Pitti and Dati to the story of Bianco Alfani illustrates how economic and social change in 14th century Florence produced a culture centered on reputation and commerce. For men like Pitti and Dati, who flourished within the constraints of Florentine society, their reward was election to office, a public mark of acceptance and social standing. Those who were ambitious but failed to abide by the values o...
Under the Medici rule, especially the leadership of Lorenzo de’Medici, art thrived and new revolutionary ideas emerged, furthering the Renaissance in Florence while challenging the stronghold of the church. Florence became an edifice for art and the greatest painters of the time flocked to the city including Fra Filippo Lippi, Verrocchio, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo (Greenblatt 13)...
The Medici’s were a prominent family in the Renaissance, who ruled Florence from 1434 to 1737. They are regarded as being one of the most powerful and richest families in the whole of Europe. The Medics used this great status and wealth to develop an improved Florence, one that was significantly influenced by the Renaissance. The Medici family can most certainly be regarded as the significant heroes of the Renaissance. This is due to their significant promotion and patronage in the arts, in turn bringing focus back to the antiquities, a major importance during the Renaissance period. Furthermore, the Medicis can be considered the great heroes of the Renaissance, due to their significant influence of Renaissance Humanist thinking. On top of this, although the Medici family were allegedly corrupt and supposedly paid many bribes in order to become so powerful, they still focused on benefiting the heart of the Renaissance- the city-state of Florence- and should thus not be considered the great villains of the Renaissance, but instead the heroes.
Michelangelo was born in Caprese, Italy on March 6th 1475. His family was politically prominent as his family had large land property. His father was a banker and was looking to his son to engage in his businesses. As a young boy, he has ambitions of becoming a sculptor, but his father was very discouraging of this. He wanted his son to live up to the family name and take up his father’s businesses. Michelangelo became friends with Francesco Granacci, who introduced him to Domenico Ghirlandio(biography.com). Michelangelo and his father got into a series of arguments until eventually they arranged for him to study under Ghirlandaio at the age of thirteen. Ghirlandaio watched Michelangelo work and recognized his talent for the art and recommended him into an apprenticeship for the Medici family palace studio after only one year of at the workshop. The Medici’s were very rich from making the finest cloths. Lorenzo, which was one of the most famous of the family had a soft side for art and is credited for helping the Italian Renaissance become a time of illustrious art and sculpting. At ...
Catherine de Medici’s culpability for the turbulent events in France in 1559-72 remains a topic of some debate. Highly personal protestant pamphleteers associated Catherine with sinister comparisons to the contemporary evil Machiavelli which eventually developed into the ‘Black Legend’. Jean.H. Mariégol consolidates this interpretation, overwhelmingly assuming Catherine’s wickedness; the Queen Mother was deemed to be acting for ‘personal aggrandizement’ without an interest in the monarchy. Neale provides a corrective arguing a ‘dominant maternalism’ drove Catherine’s policies. Sutherland critiques Neale, suggesting he is guilty of using misconceived qualifying phrases from the ‘Black Legend’ stemming from the contemporary pamphlets, instead Sutherland and Heller attempt to disentangle Catherine from the context of the xenophobic Protestant pamphleteers that shaped much of Catherine’s historical analysis thus far, revealing the ‘politique’ whose moderate policies were a force for stability. Knecht is most convincing in his assertion that whilst the ‘Black Legend’ is a misrepresentation of her character and policies, Sutherland goes too far in whitewashing Catherine. Ironically, Catherine as a ‘politique’ aimed for complex policies and yet her role in French politics was over-simplified by contemporaries and arguably even by modern historians contributing to overly polarised interpretations. Instead we should bear in mind the violent pressures Catherine faced in the context of the collapse of monarchical authority and follow the more nuanced interpretation of her role.
From Cosimo the Elder to Lorenzo, the three generations witnessed the most glorious time of the grand Medici family. Cosimo accumulated enormous fortune for his successors and set up a great example as a generous patron. Piero maintained the family position in the last five years of his life and preserved the family tradition. Lorenzo had the most art talent and accelerated the blossom of Renaissance in many ways. But the latter two of the Medici rulers wasn't able to keep expanding the banking business. On the contrast, the Medici bank had been shrinking even since the death of Cosimo. Two years after Lorenzo died in 1492, the bank finally failed due to system flaws and other reasons after almost a hundred years' existance.10
Lorenzo De Medici can be considered as one of the most influential men of the 13th century. His work in political affairs and administration were renowned in all Italy and his family could count on him in every aspect. Lorenzo was also a promoter of a new period called Renaissance. He was one of the first “mecenate” to explore this new way of art. In this project, I will concentrate how he developed art in Florence, giving a clear example through an Artist of that period that was working for him: Sandro Botticelli. His work “The Spring” is a well-defined example of what we can call “art in the Renaissance”, in particular for the Italian Renaissance.
From the fourteenth to the seventeenth century the Renaissance transformed European culture and society. Many classical texts resurfaced and new scientific techniques arose. To many, Leonardo da Vinci is one of the most important figures in Renaissance history. He was given the name “Renaissance Man” because of his large role and impact. He had a large list of interests that spanned from science, art, anatomy, architecture, and mathematics. All of which were fundamental components that shaped the Renaissance era into what we know it as today.
The Renaissance began after Europe began recovering from the Black Death. Anyone who had survived was just happy to be alive and started focusing more on material things, rather than religious ones. Another reason the focus shifted from religious thoughts was because of the Great Schism. People began second guessing their rulers and religious leaders and became more secular. One important city involved in the Renaissance was Florence, which would come to be known as the cultural center of the Renaissance. Florence was located in Tuscany and was ruled by merchants originally, but was later taken over by a wealthy family known as the Medicis. Later, however, the economy began to decline, which made the people turn to a man known as Savonarola. Savonarola, however, was an extremely strict ruler and did not allow such things as gambling or painting. He then went on to criticize the Pope and was sentenced to death for heresy. The Medici family then gained back control. These power struggles within Italy would lead to better trade which would help lead to people having a new, better way of life.
The Medici family is officially in power. It is 1434 and the House of Medici has been looked up to since the 13th century, but now the Medici family is influencing major change. Due to the family’s support in arts and humanities the Renaissance has taken place. During the renaissance civilians primary focus was the idea that everyone should be educated and participate in arts and science. This change in the way people thought was influenced by the Medici family. The Medici family flourished financially in the 1400’s and continued to gain power politically in the 14th century. Several members of the Medici family created success for the
Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici founded the Medici bank in 1397 after splitting from his nephew to establish a bank branch in Florence. As the new bank grew and expanded, so did the wealth and power of the Medici family. When Cosimo il Vecchio de’ Medici, Giovanni’s son, took over the banking business in 1434, the increasing economic power of the Medici family allowed them to establish themselves as effective rulers of Florence while keeping the republican system of government nominally intact. The bank provided the Medici family a combination of economic and political power that facilitated the stability of Medici rule. Thus, the failure of the Medici bank during the reign of Lorenzo il Magnifico was key to the collapse of the Medici family’s power in Renaissance Florence because of the vital role that the bank played in the family’s ability to control the city.
The idea of the Renaissance Gentleman. Just as it is false to see the Renaissance as a simple and sharp contrast with the Middle Ages, as did Michelet and Burckhardt, neither should it be seen as all of one piece. After the age of civic humanism came the dominance of the Medici in Florence, and in those contacts made with eastern scholars when the Council of Florence was attempting the reconciliation of the Eastern and Western Churches (a last effort to stave off the menace of the Turk) Cosimo de'Medici had been attracted to the figure of Plato. So there came his patronage of Marsilio Ficino and the birth of the Platonic Academy. Ficino became the disciple of Plato, and an advocate of neo-Platonism. Perhaps coincidentally, but as befits a court, the contemplative ideal began once more to gain over the active one. It was transmitted potently to Europe by a book that mirrored one of the noblest of Italian courts, that of Urbino. This was Baldassar Castiglione's Il cortegiano/The Book of the Courtier). Published in 1528 (that is, after the Sack of Rome, 1527) it has a nostalgic vision of the civilisation nurtured in Urbino from the time of Federigo da Montefeltro, in one of the most beautiful of princely palaces. Apart from offering in its close the neoplatonic idea to Europe, it recommended not so much the status of the courtier, as the ideal of the gentleman. There is no other comparable book that encapsulated the ideals of the Italian Renaissance, and its European success ensured the diffusion of the message. (Penguin Hutchinson Reference Library Copyright (c) 1996 Helicon Publishing and Penguin Books Ltd)
It would be a lie to say that Giovanni de’ Medici was the first in his f...
The term Renaissance has, over the years, become synonymous with ideas of expanding civilisation, rebirth, and cultural expansion. The most renowned example of a country’s cultural renaissance was that of the Italians; however this is only one example of such a cultural and philosophical paradigm. To begin with, a “renaissance” is a revolution of the rebirth of ideals within a country’s individuals: self-awareness, art, architecture, religion and science, to name a few. For it is these ideas that have given civilisations the drive and perseverance to rise from a period wrought with fallow and of social, cultural, and economical regression. Many prominent world powers today, and subsequently in the past, have went through a period of renaissance, which was preceded by what many call a dark age; it is through this time of upheaval that the ideas and socio-political philosophies flourished, paving the way towards each nations’ renaissance. To this, the Renaissance should not only be seen as an essential part of European history, but its ideals should also be credited philosophically for improving and influencing different developing societies through the ages.
"Famiglia De Medici: The Extraordinary Story Of The Family That Financed The Renaissance." Business Insider. 6 Dec. 2013. .