How the Medici Shaped the Renaissance

Relive the passion, intrigue, and astonishing exploits of the Medici, and discover the roles this unique powerful family played in an era that changed the Western world.

Overview

Course No. 30040

This 12-lecture course examines how the Medici banking dynasty rose to dominate Florence and became the Renaissance’s greatest patrons. You’ll explore:

• The Medici’s political ascent from Giovanni’s bank to Cosimo’s rule
• Lorenzo the Magnificent’s golden age of art and diplomacy
• Dramatic exiles and restorations of Medici power
• Their lasting impact on Michelangelo, Botticelli, and European culture

From commissioning the Duomo to producing French queens, these lectures reveal how one family transformed Western civilization.

Video Lectures

Part 1: Rise of the Dynasty

1. Florence at the Dawn of the Renaissance (29 min)
   Setting the stage: 14th-century Florence and Medici myths.
2. The Foundations of Medici Greatness (29 min)
   Giovanni di Bicci establishes the Medici banking empire.
3. The Godfather: Cosimo de’ Medici (30 min)
   Political mastery through patronage and crisis management.

Part 2: Golden Age

4. The Gouty: Piero de’ Medici (30 min)
   Stabilizing the dynasty through art and alliances.

5-6. Lorenzo the Magnificent (33-31 min)
Poetry, politics, and holding Italy together.

Part 3: Crisis and Restoration

7-8. First Collapse and Savonarola (29-30 min)
The friar’s revolution and Medici exile.

9-10. Medici Comebacks (29-32 min)
Papal power plays and hereditary rule.

Part 4: Legacy

11-12. From Tyrants to Grand Dukes (32-33 min)
Alessandro’s downfall to Catherine de’ Medici’s French influence.