House of Medici
Q. Who were the Medici family during the Renaissance?
The Medici family ruled the city of Florence throughout the Renaissance. They had a major influence on the growth of the Italian Renaissance through their patronage of the arts and humanism. The Medici family were wool merchants and bankers. Both businesses were very profitable and the family became extremely wealthy.
Table of Contents
- Q. Who were the Medici family during the Renaissance?
- Q. Which city was ruled by the Medici family during the Renaissance?
- Q. Who was Cosimo de Medici and what did he do?
- Q. Are there any living members of the Medici family?
- Q. Was the Medici family good or bad?
- Q. Did the Medici steal from Florence?
- Q. Did Giuliano de Medici have a child?
- Q. Did Cosimo Medici have an illegitimate child?
- Q. How did the Medici lose power?
Q. Which city was ruled by the Medici family during the Renaissance?
Florence
| Medici | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Giambuono de’ Medici |
| Final ruler | Gian Gastone de’ Medici |
| Final head | Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici |
| Titles | Pope (non-hereditary) Grand Duke of Tuscany Duke of Florence Lord of Florence (informal) Duke of Urbino Duke of Nemours Prince of Ottajano Queen of France |
Q. Who was Cosimo de Medici and what did he do?
Cosimo de’ Medici is known for being the founder of one of the main lines of the Medici family that ruled Florence from 1434 to 1537. He was a patron of the arts and humanism and played an important role in the Italian Renaissance.
Q. Are there any living members of the Medici family?
Originally Answered: Is there any surviving Medicis? The last lineal descendant of the Medici line, Anna Maria Luisa, died childless in 1743. She was the sister of the last Grand Duke, Gian Gastone, also childless, who preceded her in death in 1737.
Q. Was the Medici family good or bad?
Giovanni was the innovator, the entrepreneur. At his death, the Medici were not only one of the richest families in Florence, they were, according to Christopher Hibbert, in The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici (1974), the “most profitable family business in the whole of Europe”
Q. Did the Medici steal from Florence?
Mistakes were of course made – he allowed the Medici bank to run itself almost to ruin (something that would be completely finished when his son Piero took over), stole from the Florentine Signoria coffers when money ran low and worse still, stole from a public fund set up to provide dowries for penniless girls so they …
Q. Did Giuliano de Medici have a child?
| Giuliano de’ Medici | |
|---|---|
| Died | 26 April 1478 (aged 24) Florence Cathedral, Republic of Florence |
| Noble family | Medici |
| Issue Pope Clement VII | |
| Father | Piero the Gouty |
Q. Did Cosimo Medici have an illegitimate child?
The couple had two sons: Piero the Gouty (b. 1416) and Giovanni de’ Medici (b. 1421). Cosimo also had an illegitimate son, Carlo, by a Circassian slave, who would go on to become a prelate.
Q. How did the Medici lose power?
The dynasty collapsed with a debauched duke. The curtains closed on almost 300 years of Medici rule in Florence with the death of Gian Gastone de’ Medici, the seventh family member to serve as grand duke of Tuscany. Gian Gastone, who came to power in 1723 and led a life of debauchery, died without any heirs.
