Medici Legacy Essay

This sample essay on Medici Legacy reveals arguments and important aspects of this topic. Read this essay’s introduction, body paragraphs and the conclusion below.

The Renaissance is the period of “rebirth” where new ideas started to flourish through science and technology and where religious explanations started to be questioned. Italy during the Renaissance was a composition of many city states where families, popes, and emperors struggled to either gain power or increased power. In the 12th Century, the Medici family came to Florence and took influence through trade and banking.

They were the first princely dynasty who owed their status through banking and trade and not by marriage or warfare. As the family succeeded in acquiring wealth, their political power was also brought into life.

The Medici’s funded many buildings and work of art, and patronized artists like Da Vinci, Michael Angelo, Donatello and Brunelleschi. On the 15th century, it was Giovanni di Bicci who escalated the Medici wealth which placed the family in a status as one of the influential families in Florence.

He was known to be the founder of the Medici bank. Giovanni’s main interest is on commerce and on how he would 2 extend the family’s banking business beyond Florence. Giovanni was not a political leader before but he gain status as one of the successful and prominent people for being merchant.

Why Is The Medici Family Important

In Sept. 27, 1389, Cosimo de’ Medici, the eldest son of Giovanni was born and soon earned a title as “Pater Patriae”.

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He came to manage the finances of the Papacy and remained as a private citizen with private alliances which he used later on to defeat his opponents. Cosimo is an art enthusiast and he was the one who made Europe as a “cultural center” and the one who supported the great artists in his time up to the present (e. g. Da Vince, Michelangelo). Cosimo reign for 30 years, and during that time he uses his wealth to have control over internal affairs in Florence.

However, two powerful rivals for power: Milan and Venice, where plotting to overthrow Cosimo. Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the leader of the Visconte dynasty in Milan was not able to succeed because he died before he realized his plan of takeover. Under the new ruler of Milan, Cosimo made an alliance to the latter and created a diplomatic agreement in favor of both their economic interest. One of the great political contributions of Cosimo was that, he was able to succeed in maintaining balance between commerce and peace in the city-states of Italy.

Cosimo died in 1464, and it was then that his son Piero succeeded him for five years. The two sons of Piero- Lorenzo and Giulio, succeeded to his power after his death in 1469. Giulio, did not inherit the skill of his grandfather in either banking or politics which leads to his incapability to neutralize factions. A plot to kill these brothers was initiated by 3 the combined forces of the Pazzi family (their rival bankers), the archbishop of Pisa, and the nephew of Pope Sixtus IV. It was Giulio who unfortunately died during the assassination, while Lorenzo

escaped with a bleeding wound on his shoulder. This assassination of Giulio fueled the sympathy of the people of Florence to the Madici’s. Three of the Pazzi with the archbishop was hanged in Signoria (the government building of Florence). Lorenzo campaigned for peace treaty and was later on called the “Magnificent” which pertain to people of most importance in Italy who cannot otherwise claimed the highest title of “Excellence”. Following the footsteps of Cosimo, Lorenzo has the same diplomacy to maintain peace in Italy and to be united with the five chief states.

The three sons of Lorenzo were: Piero di Lorenzo is the eldest son of Lorenzo with no apparent skill to lead his people. In 1494, he was unable to pacify and lead his people during the French invasion. In 1512, Giovanni de’ Medici, used his appointed position as a boy cardinal, to persuade the pope to restore their family position in Florence. It was granted by the pope and they were able to return to Florence. Three years after, Giovanni became Pope Leo X and reign for eight years. His footstep was soon followed by his cousin who also became Clement IV and took reign for 11 years.

The position of the Medici in the papal throne, gives them access to the protection of the military during the time of turbulence in Italy. Florence became a republic in 1532, of which, during the time establishes Alessandro de’ Medici as the new duke of Florence. However, the Alessandro died in 1537, and it was 4 during that time that the leadership of the family was transferred to Cosimo. In 1569, Cosimo was created as the duke of Tuscany. During his reign, the grand duchy Tuscany was one of the great dynasties in Europe. Cosimo was known for his two great contributions.

First is that, he was able maintain the principality of Medicean for two years. Second was that, he was able to expand his rule over other regions without neglecting the welfare of his own city. He was also known to be a great contributor in military (he unify all of Tuscany under his rule) and cultural achievements (he brought in a part of Florence’s architecture and art into Tuscany, he also improved the agriculture of his city). At the age of 14, Catherine de Medici (daughter of Lorenzo de Medici) was married to the future king of France, King Henry II.

He was a second wife who boar two sons – Louis and Gaston – and three daughters – Elizabeth, Marie Christine and Henrietta Marie. Henry II died in 1559 and was succeeded by Francois II. However, the latter died after only fifteen months of reign. Charles (a 10-year old boy) was next to the throne and was later on crowned as Charles IX. Since Charles was just a minor then, Catherine de Medici acted on his behalf. Catherine became familiar in performing the part of Charles, until such time that the latter where already able to handle his duties as a king. Catherine and Charles were disputing over whose religious side Charles’ would favor.

In frustration, Catherine ordered the slaughter of the Protestants. The massacre united King Philip II and Pope Gregory XIII. 5 The Medici rule continued within the family, and the inheritance was passed to sons, daughters, brothers, among others, until the death of Gian Gastone. The accomplishments that the Medici had extend further in the history of 1300-1700, creating a deep mark in the history of Florence, Italy.

While they were the ruler of Florence, they poured money on their city to make it a powerful city- state in Italy. It had become a world’s famous city. Florence, Italy became known to the world because of its cultural centers as well as art centers. They had invested on books and embrace the flourishing knowledge of “rebirth” by funding the largest library in Europe and by founding the Platonic Academy. They had funded the education of many artists Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael) in the academy. Florence, Italy owed the development of its arts and culture in the Medici family.

During the reign of the Medicis, art flourished in Florence Italy which paved way to realism subjects. New faces of art work, based on emotion and drama was created. The Medicis funded huge building never imagined before. Merchant tradition flourished in Florence. Two great man of that time introduced to the people of Florence the importance of rational thinking rather than merely relying on religious explanations. It was Da Vinci who pioneered the study of human parts, and Galileo who tried to scientifically explain the movements of planets. These endeavors were nourished by the academic institutions as well as the funds of the Medici’s.

The contribution of the Medici in bringing resources to Florence, had opened the ideas of excellent writers and philosophers of that time to flourish. 6 One of the important contributions of the Medici happened during the reign of Cosimo who, by that time, deliberately worked to protect the cohesiveness of Florence, Italy through their wealth. The Medici’s were successful in putting the city under their power without altering the basic structure to which it was composed. Some of the contributions of the Medici in arts would be mentioned in this paper.

The patronage of the family in the work of art started when Giovanni decided to fund the reconstruction of the church of San Lorenzo. The church owed its sacristy from Giovanni whose artistic look was soon developed by Cosimo, after the death of the first. In 1446, Cosimo de’ Medici decided to build his own palace, with his architect Michelozzo. The interior of the building was a splendid creation of art with heavy rusticated masonry. The building was coming from a refined taste of a wealthy; however it had a facade of a traditional aura, still depicting the picture of balance among other traditional institutions in the Florence.

Cosimo was the founder of the palace, while his son Piero became his interior decorator. Mino da Fiesole was tasked to carve marble portrait busts of Piero and his brother Giovanni. The Medici palace had a small chapel inside. The place was adorned with coffered and gilded ceiling as well as with marble floors. Procession of the Magi to Bethlehem was 7 adorned on the wall of the chapel.

Some rooms in the palace were decorated with paintings from various known artists of their time. Victorious general, Niccolo da Tolentino was one of the paintings. There were also lots of geometrically arranged angles of humans and animals in the rooms. Moreover, to remember the military victories of their time, their walls were also decorated with medals and other military awards. Antonio del Pollaiuolo made a civic imagery of bronze table of Hercules and Athena.

Hercules was the state seal of Florence since it was believed that the young hero was able to face all the hurdles in his way just like what the Florentines did. Anteus on the other hand signifies strength of being. To summarize the Medici legacy, there is a need to go back to situation of Florence Italy in the Renaissance period which is the start of the flourishing of science as a way of life as well as of arts and literature. During this time, a migrant family (the Medici) from a nearby city-state was able to take control over trade and banking in the place which soon evolved into access to political power as well.

The Key figures in the history of the Medici’s include: Giovanni (as the founder of the Medici bank), his son Cosimo who became the “Pater Patriae”,his son Piero, the two sons of Piero-Lorenzo ( the “Magnificent”) and Giulio, and down to the last generation of the Medici which was mentioned above. The great political contribution of the Medici’s was their ability to lead the people of Florence and introduce the city-state to the rest of the world not through warfare but through the new discoveries in art and science.

By patronizing artists of the Renaissance period, these people became the great artists of the human history. Through the funds given by the Medici, it allows 8 human development to flourish through knowledge in science and technology as well as with the basic premise of human existence. Florence owed its pride in the 1300-1700 to the Medici family because the family nurtures the cultural significance of Florence Italy to all other city-states of that time. The Medici did not also neglect the need of its people for a leader.

Though the Medici’s were driven by economic interest, it had somewhat produces a great contribution in the world of politics since the family faced struggles for power, wealth and status. Until the time of the last Medici, the influence of the family crept over the hearts and minds of the people in Italy because it had been long enough that this family became the great contributor of Florence’s colorful history. BIBLIOGRAPHY Cosimo Medici. http://www. yesnet. yk. ca/schools/projects/renaissance/medici.

html (accessed November 26, 2007). History of the Medici. http://www. historyworld. net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories. asp? historyid=aa24 (accessed November 25, 2007). History of the Medici. http://www. lakesideschool. org/studentweb/worldhistory/renaissance/MediciFamily. htm (accessed November 26, 2007). Italy during the Renaissance. http://library. thinkquest. org/2838/renais. htm (accessed November 25, 2007). Magnificent and Splendor. http://employees. oneonta. edu/farberas/arth/arth213/Medici_patronage.

html (accessed November 25, 2007). Marie de Medici. , http://www. bbc. co. uk/dna/h2g2/A622919 (accessed November 26, 2007). Medici: Godfather of the Renaissance. http://www. pbs. org/empires/medici/renaissance/index. html (accessed November 26, 2007). Nygaard Ken. “Giovanni di Bicci Averardo de’ Medici. ” http://www. historyworld. net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories. asp? historyid=aa24 (accessed November 25, 2007). The Medici Queens. http://www. saburchill. com/history/biblio/020. html (accessed November 26, 2007).