Medici Family

The Medici Family Definition

The Medici Family, also known as the House of Medici, was a wealthy family that came to hold great power in Florence during the Renaissance. They played an important role in governing the city for centuries and had a large hand in making Florence the beautiful city that it is today.

The Medici Family Tree

The Medici family was large and expanded over many centuries. This Family Tree focuses on the key players that helped establish their power.

Fig. 1 - Medici Family Tree

The Medici Family History

The Medici Family originated in the small village of Cafaggilo in Tuscany. They relocated to Florence in the 13th century where they lived as merchants. They did well for themselves and became involved in civic affairs through the Florentine Merchant Guild. With time, members of the family began to take positions in the Signora.

Although the Medici family had already been doing very well for themselves, Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici solidified their position as one of the wealthiest and most prominent families in Florence with the Medici Bank in 1397.

The Medici Bank had branches as far away as London and, for a time, the papacy even used them as their primary financial institution. The Medici Bank also gave the family the wealth necessary to pursue other ventures.

Key Members of the Medici Family

Before we continue, here are some of the most significant members of the Medici Family and the ones that we’ll be discussing:

It’s also important to know that four members of the Medici Family became popes:

The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici

Beginning in 1434, the Medici Family ruled over Florence for the better part of three centuries. Let's take a look at the rise and fall of the House of Medici.

The Rise of the House of Medici

As we discussed earlier, Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici and his founding of the Medici Bank secured the wealth and prosperity of the Medici Family. It was his son Cosimo de’ Medici who finally succeeded in beating out the Allbizzi family for power over Florence. Cosimo de’ Medici became the Gran maestro of Florence and ruled for 30 years.

Lorenzo de’ Medici, Cosimo de’ Medici’s grandson, was the next Gran maestro to rule Florence.

Also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, he was a patron to many famous names you’d recognize such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. He helped transform Florence into a showcase of beautiful art and architecture and the Medici family continued to be important patrons throughout the Renaissance, bringing the family even more fame and prestige.

Fig. 2 - The Last Judgement by Michelangelo

For the next few decades, the Medicis held power off and on as different factions battled each other. In 1532, Guilio de’ Medici, acting as Pope Clement VII granted Alessandro de’ Medici the hereditary title of Duke of Florence, establishing the rule of the Medicis once again.

The Fall of the House of Medici

Although the House of Medici would remain in power until 1737, the Grand Duchy was already suffering at the beginning of the 1700s. The treasury was completely depleted and the population had reduced by almost 50%. When Grand Duke Gian Gastone de’ Medici died in 1737, it signaled the end of Medici family rule.

His sister, Ana Maria Luisa de' Medici was the last of the royal House of Medici. Although offered a nominal regency, she declined but she left a lasting legacy with the Patto di Famiglia.