The Medici: Story of a European Dynasty

by Franco Cesari, Christina N. Caughlan (Translator)

The Medici are the best-known and most prestigious Italian family, their name inextricably linked to the history of Florence. The city itself remains a living testimony of the peninsula's most splendid epoch; when people around the world think of Italy, they usually think of Florence and Tuscany, and of the priceless art collections that hold to this day an irresistible fascination for millions of visitors.

Genres: History

143 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Born in Verona in 1958, Franco Cesari lives and works in Florence, where he studies the city's history and traditions. Journalist and publisher, he has been editor of the monthly review "Firenze ieri oggi e domani". He is now chief editor of the "Rassegna europea di letteratura italiana".
His works, all published in Italian, include "Le strade di Firenze" (1994), "Le piazze di Firenze" (1995), "Le chiese di Firenze" (1996), "C'era una volta Firenze" (1996), "Porta romana" (1997), "Il Chianti" (1998) and "Firenze, guida insolita e misteriosa" (1999).

Reviews

[Erna]

oh lol, okay. i bought this last time i went to florence, and decided to read it now, since i'm going again next week and need a little refresher on the medici lore. i say that, as if i won't forget most of this by then, sigh in any case, i was searching for an entirely different book when i saw this - i thought that this book was more museum brochure adjacent and therefore wouldn't be on goodreads.

so because it is, i might as well leave a review because i'm feeling a little pissed off and petty in a nerdy sort of way. because, listen - it's already difficult enough to keep track of the medicis, with them always being called the same fucking names. you don't have to make it harder by, for example, switching to their papal name once they become pope, but then refer to them by their real name two sentences later. just fucking stick to one!!! same applies to referring to their title or familial relationship to each other. i know we were all taught in school to not write repetitively but i think in this case, it's okay to say somebody's name every time you bring them up for the sake of clarity. i hope this doesn't sound pompous but if it was already this frustrating to me, i can't imagine it being any easier to someone who knows nothing about the medicis.

tldr: the writing style was frustrating but i'm also annoying asf.

[Everett Egginton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this jam-packed short (135 pages) history of the Medici dynasty in preparation for a forthcoming week long arts-focused seminar tour of Florence. The Medici dynasty is, in a word, complex, consisting of countless numbers of direct as well as slightly removed Medici personnel who occupied positions of unrestrained power not only in Florence and throughout Tuscany, but all over Europe as well (among the Medici dynasty, numerous Popes). And their origin—very humble, agricultural-focused, obscure, largely untraceable.

Fascinating read, but truly too much to digest in a short volume, the volume itself an attractive high quality paper back book which replete with beautiful photos of the incomparable art now housed for perpetuity throughout Florence. And this fact, that Florence will be forever the home of the World’s most renowned collection of art, is thanks to none other than, you guessed it, a Medici—the last one and arguably the weakest of the Medici in most other ways.

[Karen Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Telling the history (and some her-story) of 300 years of rule or influence in Florence Italy and also for the two Medici women who ruled in France. Wonderful. This book is highly portable for trips, has the genealogy and the many images (though small, it's a portable book) are placed in context.

The author does not shy away from the more brutal aspects of The Medici and does a long arc of the various rises and falls in fortunes of both the family and of Florence herself, including the murders of two Medici women in 1576.

[Alek Frohlich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short (but densely packed) book on the history of the Medici family. It was a pleasure to read it while visiting Florence.

The book covers the establishment of the Medici family in Florence through Cosimo the Elder and Lorenzo the Magnificent during the 14-15th centuries, their ascension to power (i.e., monarchy and the grand duke of Tuscang), and finally their fall from grace.

I highly enjoyed this book and must say the printed copy is of very high quality both in terms of paper and illustrations (loads of contextualized art, which I loved).

[Suzanne Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, accessible and really makes me want to visit Florence. It made the complex, dark but also splendid world of the Renaissance and the growth of the Medicis within that context very real.

[Marta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of art pictures and portraits, well summarized and full of 15-16 century gossip

[amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

very cool, very interesting. read this before visiting florence and almost made me feel my 30k history degree was worth it. side note a lot of the medici men were very ugly bugly cos they had gout

[Frank Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little primer on this unique family.