Catherine de' Medici

Commercial transactions were another form of income for the Medici. They spread out their accounts by dealing in many items, for example: wool, cloth, silk, spices, olive oil, and fruits. The Medici style of banking was sometimes done in the dark. They would use the complicated and confusing banking system to their advantage, when dealing with large sums of money. They would separate their accounts for each business venture they went into, and each account was charged with all the costs,…

The Medici Family The Medici family influenced politics in Italy for 300 years and can be traced back to the end of the 12th century. They belonged to the aristocratic class and not nobility, the family gained its fortune through banking and commerce and acquired great wealth by the 13th century. The first Medici to get notable political influence was Salvestro de’ Medici who was the gonfaliere during the 14th century, he led a revolt against the ciompi and became the dictator of the city,…

Within about 40 years the Medici Bank was able to procure so much wealth and profit that it was economically equal with the Florentine treasury. Risks were taken to obtain as much profit as possible. Loans were given out to princes, kings, and even the hard working merchant. Everything was done for the money. The Medici Bank and family were the icons of Florence and the model standard when it came to wealth and power, they became the silent rulers of their hometown after the realization that…

La Primavera was created for the cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici. It could be seen as some sort token of appreciate for being forced into marriage. The original date of this painting is uncertain but has been narrowed down to between 1477 and 1482. It is documented that this painting was hung in the bedroom of the bride Semiramide Appiani. By understand the background of this painting it opens the door for ample interpretation which is pretty beautiful.…

prince of Italy at the time: Lorenzo De Medici. The Prince is a book about royals written by a commoner who was better informed on the matters of the royals. Machiavelli asserted that The Prince was the aggregation of the knowledge he had acquired over time through many difficulties, sometimes in dangerous ways as he traveled for his diplomatic duties. Within The Prince are chapters on several aspects that Machiavelli felt were important for Lorenzo De Medici to know about princes. The Prince is…

Humanism is best defined as a philosophical and ethical stance that puts emphasis on value and agency of human beings. Humanist individuals prefer critical thinking and evidence over superstition. Humanism came about from the renaissance, the rebirth of Europe after the middle ages. A perfect example of a humanist, renaissance man is Leon Battista Alberti. Born on February 14, 1404 in Genoa, Italy, place were the Renaissance began. Alberti is also known as the quintessential Renaissance…

Renaissance man, he restructured the Roman University, accelerated the construction of St. Peter's Basilica and poured lavish funds into the arts. He was the personification of Renaissance ideals. Having spent his youth at the court of Lorenzo de' Medici, he had acquired the mannerisms and tastes of one of the most brilliant societies of Europe and posed a sharp contrast to the pope whom he…

wipe out the Medici for good, but Lorenzo, although he was injured from the Pazzi attacks, traveled over to the pope and convinced him not to. The Medici were involved with a lot of artists during the Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli were among these artists. da Vinci and Michelangelo were both prime examples of the “Renaissance Man”, who was a person who had a wide understanding of many different subjects. Leonardo da Vinci was a talented young man who lived in…

The Medici’s wealth surpasses everyone else wealth because of the business with the Catholic Church. The Medici family can deny anyone a loan and not worry about consequences. Both families control geographic areas of Northern and Southern Europe. Dukes of Burgundy owned land from Holland all the way to central France. Philip the Bold, father of Philip the Good, gained large amount of territory through political marriages and other strategies. According to Marilyn Stokstad, Philip married his…

London branch of the Medici Bank would be helpful. “A merchant would borrow 1000 florins (Florence’s currency) from Giovanni’s Florentine branch where the exchange rate is 40 pence (England’s currency) per florin. With that money, the merchant buys goods in Italy that he knows are in high demand in London. Upon arriving in London, he sells his goods and receives English pence. He is now prepared to pay back his debt of 40,000 pence, pocketing any excess he made as profit. The Medici branch in…