House of Medici
The Medici family of Florence, from the founding of their bank in 1397 to the death of the last Medici grand duke in 1737, including their rule, their popes and their patronage of art and learning.
Category: Society
- 1397Giovanni di Bicci founds the Medici Bank in Florence
Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici separates his bank from that of his nephew Averardo and moves it from Rome to Florence. The bank funds the family's rise and is liquidated in 1494, after Charles VIII's invasion.
- 1434Cosimo de' Medici returns from exile and takes control of Florence
Imprisoned in September 1433 and then exiled, the banker Cosimo de' Medici returns to Florence in 1434. He begins the family's long dominance of the city, which lasts until 1494.
- 1444Cosimo de' Medici founds the Library of San Marco in Florence
Founded in 1444 and designed by Michelozzo, the Library of San Marco is the first public library in Florence. It was built with Cosimo de' Medici's support.
- 1444 – 1484Cosimo de' Medici has Michelozzo build the Palazzo Medici
Construction of the Palazzo Medici, designed by Michelozzo for Cosimo de' Medici, begins in 1444 and runs to 1484. It is the family's main residence until Piero de' Medici is exiled in 1494.
- c. 1462Cosimo de' Medici sets Marsilio Ficino to translate Plato
Cosimo de' Medici gives Marsilio Ficino Greek manuscripts of Plato, and Ficino begins translating the whole corpus into Latin (published 1484). His circle is later called the Platonic Academy, though the name is debated.
- August 1, 1464Death of Cosimo de' Medici, 'Father of the Fatherland'
Cosimo de' Medici dies at the family villa of Careggi on 1 August 1464. The Florentine Signoria awards him the title Pater Patriae, 'Father of the Fatherland', which is carved on his tomb.
- December 1469Lorenzo de' Medici, aged 20, takes the lead in Florence
After the death of his father Piero in December 1469, the 20-year-old Lorenzo de' Medici, later called 'the Magnificent', assumes the family's leading role in Florence. He rules until his death in 1492.
- April 26, 1478The Pazzi conspiracy strikes the Medici in Florence Cathedral
On 26 April 1478, conspirators backed by Pope Sixtus IV kill Giuliano de' Medici at High Mass; Lorenzo survives. Sixtus excommunicates Lorenzo (1 June) and puts Florence under interdict (20 June).
- c. 1485Botticelli paints The Birth of Venus, later at the Medici villa of Castello
Sandro Botticelli paints The Birth of Venus, probably in the mid-1480s (c. 1484–86). It hung at the Medici Villa di Castello, though no record of its commission survives and the old attribution to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco is now doubted.
- 1489 – April 8, 1492The young Michelangelo joins Lorenzo de' Medici's household
In 1489 Lorenzo de' Medici asks Ghirlandaio for his two best pupils, and Michelangelo and Francesco Granacci are sent. Michelangelo stays with the Medici until Lorenzo's death in 1492 and attends the Medici Platonic Academy.
- April 8, 1492Death of Lorenzo de' Medici, 'the Magnificent'
Lorenzo de' Medici dies at the family villa of Careggi on 8 April 1492. He had patronised Botticelli and the humanists Ficino, Landino and Poliziano; his son Piero succeeds him, and the Medici are expelled in 1494.
- November 1494After the Medici are expelled, Savonarola dominates Florence
Following Charles VIII's invasion of Italy, the Florentines expel the Medici. The Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola urges them to form a republic and gains great influence over it from November 1494.
- March 9, 1513Giovanni de' Medici is elected Pope Leo X
Giovanni de' Medici, second son of Lorenzo the Magnificent and a cardinal since the age of 13, is elected pope on 9 March 1513. He backs Raphael's work in the Vatican and on St. Peter's.
- November 19, 1523Giulio de' Medici is elected Pope Clement VII
Giulio de' Medici is elected pope on 19 November 1523. Under the Peace of Barcelona of 1529 Charles V agrees to restore the Medici in Florence, and Clement installs his nephew Alessandro as duke in 1530.
- May 6, 1527Imperial troops sack Rome and besiege Clement VII
On 6 May 1527 the unpaid army of Charles V, with some 14,000 German Landsknechts and 6,000 Spanish soldiers, storms Rome. Clement VII surrenders on 6 June and agrees to a 400,000-ducat ransom. The sack is often called the end of the High Renaissance.
- February 24, 1530Clement VII crowns Charles V Holy Roman Emperor at Bologna
Pope Clement VII crowns Charles V Holy Roman Emperor at Bologna on 24 February 1530. Charles is the last emperor to receive a papal coronation.
- 1532Alessandro de' Medici becomes the first hereditary Duke of Florence
Named head of state after the 1530 siege of Florence, Alessandro de' Medici arrives in 1531 and is made hereditary duke in 1532, ending the Florentine Republic. Sources give the grant as spring 1532.
- January 1537Cosimo I becomes Duke of Florence after Alessandro's assassination
After his cousin Alessandro is murdered on 6 January 1537, Cosimo I de' Medici, aged 17, succeeds him as Duke of Florence. He strengthens Medici power, expands Florentine territory and becomes a major patron of the arts.
- 1560 – 1581Cosimo I has Vasari build the Uffizi in Florence
Giorgio Vasari begins the Uffizi in 1560 for Cosimo I, housing Florence's magistracies and guilds under one roof; it is completed in 1581. Its top floor becomes the Medici gallery, and it opens to the public in 1769.
- 1569Cosimo I de' Medici becomes the first Grand Duke of Tuscany
Pope Pius V raises Cosimo I de' Medici to Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1569, giving the Medici a higher rank. Sources differ on the day (Cosimo's article gives 21 August).
- October 5, 1600Marie de' Medici marries Henry IV of France by proxy in Florence
The proxy wedding of Marie de' Medici and Henry IV takes place in Florence Cathedral on 5 October 1600. The religious ceremony follows at Lyon on 17 December. She later serves as regent of France from 1610 to 1617.
- October 6, 1600Peri's Euridice premieres at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence
Staged on 6 October 1600 for the wedding of Maria de' Medici and Henry IV of France, Euridice by Jacopo Peri (libretto by Rinuccini) is the earliest surviving opera.
- March 13, 1610Galileo publishes Sidereus Nuncius and dedicates it to the Medici
Published in Venice on 13 March 1610, Galileo's Sidereus Nuncius is dedicated to his former pupil Cosimo II de' Medici. He names Jupiter's four moons after the Medici brothers, which helps him win a Medici court post.
- c. 1700Bartolomeo Cristofori's piano is recorded in the Medici inventory
The Florentine instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori, employed by Prince Ferdinando de' Medici, built a keyboard that could play soft and loud. The 1700 Medici inventory is the first unambiguous record of the piano.
- July 9, 1737Gian Gastone dies, ending the Medici as rulers of Florence
Gian Gastone, the seventh and last Medici grand duke, dies at the Palazzo Pitti on 9 July 1737, ending almost 300 years of Medici rule. Francis Stephen of Lorraine succeeds him.