The House of Medici by Christopher Hibbert

Finally you’ll see how the family line slowly declined. You’ll find out which artists they supported, their ailments, their politics within Europe, their first cautious steps into the Florentine Republic and the creation of the Gran Ducato with Cosimo I. You’ll learn what was it like to live in Florence, and why they had so many enemies like the Albizzi. But how did an obscure family from the Apennine valley of Mugello achieve their remarkable success? And we shouldn’t forget that they shaped one of the most handsome cities on earth, Florence, financing artists like Michelangelo and Brunelleschi.

You have murders, plots, vicious enemies, piles of money, passion, mysteries and intrigue. The long history of the Medici family involves a series of astute politicians and diplomats, bankers, popes and fearless leaders. GODFATHERS OF THE RENAISSANCE by Paul Strathern → MEDICI MONEY Banking, Metaphysics, and Art in 15th century Florence by Tim Parks They also paint a picture of Renaissance life in Florence which is interesting if you’re planning a visit to the city. They are filled with vivid details and well-told stories and are indispensable reads for fans of the Medici family. With twenty-four pages of black-and-white illustrations, this timeless saga is one of Quill's strongest-selling paperbacks.If you want to know who the Medici really were, these are the books you should start with. The House of Medici picks up where Barbara Tuchman's Hibbert delves into the lives of the Medici family, whose legacy of increasing self-indulgence and sexual dalliance eventually led to its self-destruction. It was the house of Medici, patrons of Botticelli, Michelangelo and Galileo, benefactors who turned Florence into a global power center, and then lost it all. It shaped all of Europe and controlled politics, scientists, artists, and even popes, for three hundred years. It was a dynasty with more wealth, passion, and power than the houses of Windsor, Kennedy, and Rockefeller combined.

The House of Medici picks up where Barbara Tuchman's Hibbert delves into the lives of the Medici family, whose legacy of increasing self.

The House of Medici by Christopher Hibbert