Name:
Date:
The Medici
The Medici were a prominent family
when Cosimo died after
that produced four popes and two French
thirty years in power, his
queens. They controlled the Italian cityson and grandson
state of Florence from 1434 to 1737 and
continued his policies.
were among the most wealthy and
Cosimo’s grandson,
powerful families of Europe during the
Lorenzo, was not only a
Renaissance.
shrewd banker and clever
Florence has been a prosperous city in
politician; he was also a
the Tuscany region of central Italy for
scholar and a poet. Under Lorenzo’s
centuries. After the fall of the Roman
leadership, Florence became one of the
Empire in the west, a number of
most beautiful and prosperous cities on
prominent families took
the Italian peninsula, as
Florence
and
the
Italian
control of the city and
well as a center of the
Language
often fought wars among
Renaissance.
In
1861,
the
newly
united
themselves. In the 15th
The Medici were
Italian
government
began
a
century, the leading
patrons who funded
national
literacy
program
to
unify
families of Florence
artists and scientists.
a
kingdom
with
many
languages
decided they needed a
Lorenzo was a patron of
and dialects. Even the King,
strong person in charge
Leonardo di Vinci.
Victor Emmanuel, spoke either
to take charge of their
Galileo Galilei tutored
French, or Piedmont, a dialect of
city. They chose Cosimo
several generations of
Italian spoken in northwest
de Medici to take control
Medici, though the family
Italy. They declared the Tuscan
of the government.
withdrew their financial
dialect spoken in Florence—not
The Medici had been
support for the scientist
the Latin dialect spoken in
a prominent family in
when the church charged
Rome—to be Italian, the national
the region for centuries.
Galileo with heresy.
language of the Italy.
Their name suggests a
The last Medici ruler
relationship with medicine; perhaps an
died without an heir in 1737. Florence
ancestor might have been a doctor. The
came under Austrian and later French
later Medici were shrewd businessmen
control for more
whose Medici Bank was the largest and
than a century. In
most respected financial institution of the
1861, the Florence
Renaissance.
briefly became the
When Cosimo took control of the city,
capital of the newly
he maintained the appearance of
unified kingdom of
republican government by appointing
Italy.
relatives and people he could control to
important positions. And sure enough,
2015 Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com, All rights reserved.
Name:
Date:
Answer in Complete Sentences
1. Who were the Medici?
2. Explain how the Medici kept control of Florence for generations.
*3. Lorenzo di Medici was a Renaissance Man because he had wide interests and was an
expert in several areas. Name a man or woman in our society who fits that definition.
Explain your reasoning.
*This is a higher order learning question. You will earn credit for any reasonable answer.
2015 Mike Dowling, www.mrdowling.com, All rights reserved.