Why Is The Medici Family Important In The 15th Century

The Medici family were one of the most powerful families in the 15th century who essentially dominated over three generations and were able to uniquely gain and effectively maintain power in Florence. The Medici family, also known as the House of Medici, gained power in the earlier parts of the 15th century through their vast influence in the banking world and wide network of close ties. The Medici family’s success during the 15th century was primarily seen through the impact of these three generations: Cosimo de’ Medici, Piero de’ Medici, and Lorenzo de’ Medici. The Medici were most notable for their political rule and their financial success, both of which played a role in their power in Florence. In looking at the Medici family’s strength

The Medici family’s financial success came from the powerful Medici bank, which was one of the most crucial elements of the Medici’s rise to power as it created opportunities for the Medici to form ties with powerful leaders and groups in other settings beyond Florence. Their greatness as bankers significantly assisted their political power’s advancement. Most importantly, the Medici bank was one that extended beyond the boundaries of Florence. To start it off, the Medici bank opened its Roman Branch in 1397 (Lecture Slides) and by 1408, had established another branch in Venice as well (Hale, page 13). Furthermore, the Medici granted a significant loan to the government of Venice, which attests to the great financial power of the Medici family. “While exiled, in Venice, Cosimo and his brother offered to advance a huge loan (about 30,000 florins) to the Venetian government, an offer gratefully accepted by his hosts” (Molho, 87). The Medici bank gave the family access to a vast amount of capital, which they intuitively used to create close ties to many powerful political figures in Italy that, in turn, allowed them to exert a strong political

Angelo Poliziano’s text directly displays the Florentines’ love for Lorenzo during the Pazzi conspiracy and also marks the Medici family as “defenders of civic liberty”. Poliziano’s text presents the positive side to the Medici regime depicting the Florentines’ utmost backing of Lorenzo’s power during the Pazzi conspiracy. On the other partisan side, in Alamanno Rinuccini’s excerpt from Dialogue concerning Liberty, in Images of Quattrocento Florence, Rinuccini evidently highlights Lorenzo as the “tyrannt of Florence” who seized the liberty of Florentines: “It is now the richest man, not he who is right, who prevails” (Rinuccini, 107). Considering Alamnno Rinnucini’s text alongside Poliziano’s text, it is clear that despite the level of corruption during Medicean domination, the Medici had unique strategies such as the use of certain writers as “part of an extensive program devised by the Medici to counter propoganda issued by the papal Curia” (Poliziano 96). Evidently, Angelo Poliziano who was one of the many intellectuals of the Medici faction that “attempted to serve the ruling family in whatever