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The Medici

21 events 0 sources 1397 to 1737 created 19 Jul 2026, 07:35

The bank, the control of Florence, the Renaissance patronage, the Medici popes, and the Grand Dukes of Tuscany.

The bank, the control of Florence, the Renaissance patronage, the Medici popes, and the Grand Dukes of Tuscany.

Figures Charles VClement VII (pope)Cosimo de' MediciHenry IVLeo X (pope)Lorenzo de' MediciPius V (pope)

Linked to

this part of The bankers this part of Money and finance

Linked from

parallel this The Renaissance: the rebirth of antiquity parallel this The history of accounting

21 newly added in the last 14 days

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    Medici Bank becomes banker to the Papacy

    In the 1410s the Medici Bank secured the profitable business of handling the finances of the Papacy. Papal accounts became the foundation of the bank's wealth and influence.

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    Cosimo de' Medici inherits the bank

    Cosimo de' Medici took over the family bank on his father's death in 1429. He expanded its branches across Europe and used its wealth to build political power.

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    Cosimo de' Medici exiled from Florence

    Rival families led by the Albizzi had Cosimo de' Medici exiled from Florence in 1433. His absence lasted only about a year before his supporters regained control.

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    Council of Florence hosted with Medici funds

    Cosimo helped bring the great church council to Florence in 1439, where Eastern and Western churches briefly agreed on union. His patronage raised the city's prestige and brought Greek scholars to Italy.

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    Lorenzo the Magnificent takes power

    Lorenzo de' Medici, later called the Magnificent, took over leadership of the family and Florence in 1469 with his brother Giuliano. His rule became a high point of Renaissance culture and diplomacy.

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    Pazzi conspiracy

    On 26 April 1478 members of the Pazzi family and allies attacked Lorenzo and Giuliano de' Medici during Mass in Florence Cathedral. Giuliano was killed and Lorenzo wounded but survived, and the plotters were brutally punished.

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    Lorenzo the Magnificent dies

    Lorenzo de' Medici died in April 1492, leaving his less able son Piero in charge. His death is often taken as the end of the golden age of Medici Florence.

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    Medici expelled and the bank collapses

    In 1494 the people of Florence drove out Piero de' Medici as a French army approached, and the family's bank was wound down. The Medici would not return to power for nearly two decades.

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    Medici restored to power in Florence

    With Spanish and papal support the Medici returned to control Florence in 1512. The restoration set the stage for the family's rise to princely rule.

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    Giovanni de' Medici elected Pope Leo X

    Giovanni de' Medici, son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, was elected Pope Leo X in March 1513. His lavish spending and sale of indulgences helped provoke the Protestant Reformation.

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    Sack of Rome during Clement VII's papacy

    Mutinous troops of Emperor Charles V sacked Rome in May 1527 while Clement VII sheltered in the Castel Sant'Angelo. The disaster shook the papacy and Medici prestige.

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    Marie de' Medici becomes Queen of France

    Marie de' Medici married King Henry IV of France in 1600 and later served as regent for her son Louis XIII. She was the second Medici woman to become a French queen.

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    Medici dynasty ends with Gian Gastone

    Gian Gastone de' Medici, the last male of the ruling line, died in 1737 without an heir. Tuscany then passed to the House of Lorraine, ending Medici rule.