Lorenzo de Medici

by Charles L. Mee Jr.

Lorenzo de' Medici was never an old man. He died in 1492 at the age of forty-three. He came to power in fifteenth-century Florence at the age of twenty. In the twenty-odd years of his rule, this banker, politician, international diplomat, free-wheeling poet and songwriter, and energetic revolutionary helped to give shape, tone, and tempo to that truly dazzling time of Western history, the Renaissance. This book, by award-winning author Charles L. Mee, Jr., recounts the remarkable life of Lorenzo de’ Medici and of the times in which he lived.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography

107 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2013

About the author

Charles L. Mee is an American playwright, historian and author known for his collage-like style of playwriting, which makes use of radical reconstructions of found texts. He is also a professor of theater at Columbia University. (Source: Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Lauren Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the Medici's in general as well as a biography of Lorenzo. It is brief and reads pretty quickly so it really is a good "starter" book for someone interested in the family but not willing to immerse themselves in a long work.

[Nishant J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was interesting and provided a lot of insight into the history of Florence, Italy and Lorenzo Medici's life. However, it was not intriguing enough for me to enjoy the read. My favorite part about the book was the addition of artwork from the Renaissance. Beautiful pieces of art where depicted on every page throughout the book and it really enhanced the reading. Overall, well written and interesting novel!

[Sekhar N Banerjee · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise history

Not a bad read - a little more elaboration on the times in Italy would have helped. History on the Medicci family is too short and ought to have been detailed before starting with Lorenzo.

[Carol Lacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book on Lorenzo the Magnificent

Great book, lots of interesting information. Read it in one sitting. I never realized that he had done so much for Florence as well as the Renaissance.

[Inas Badr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice book to know about the history of Florence and renaissance in general
But it lacks more depth when speaking about Lorenzo himself, we needed to know more about him as a person

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a kind of crib note biography. 100 pp. Readable, no footnotes and if you want a quick overview of the era not a bad idea. If you like history I'm sure there are much more thorough and better bios out there, but they'll probably be 5X as long.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Charles L Mee JR book. And, my intro to the Renaissance which I plan to continue to read and learn. I consider this book a perfect starter to the Renaissance and history of Fifteenth Century Florence and more importantly, to the Florentines.

Cosimo, Piero, and Lorenzo de' Medici. Lorenzo was never an old man, he died of a family trait...the gout. He died in 1492 at the age of forty-three. He came to power in fifteenth-century Florence at the age of twenty. In the twenty-odd years of his rule, this banker, politician, international diplomat, free-wheeling poet and songwriter, and energetic revolutionary helped spark the Renaissance.

The book gave a great intro to the idea of capitalism taking shape, international 'power', and modern banking.

[Linda Howe Steiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although short (about 100 pages) Mee's little bio of Lorenzo the Magnificent provides a good introduction to Fifteenth Century Florence--nice as I prep for travel. Well written, hitting the highlights without being simple-minded. Mee's prolific--a playwright, an historian, a professor of Theater at Columbia--so he comes with better than average creed. Most of the story seems to be based on a few of the great primary sources for this period and these people: Vasari, Machiavelli, various letters from the times. Nothing particularly new, but well worth reading.

[Martha Alami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short but concise coverage of some major events in the life of Lorenzo. Having been to Florence several times, I found this an interesting enough account to seek additional information. Not much detail, but interesting perspective on how Lorenzo influenced the Renaissance.

[Rose Joyce]

Simple ,informative story of Lorenzo Medici's life. He was a member of a prominent ruling family in Renaissance Florence and a great patron of the arts .

[Gregory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read with decent information

Would’ve liked more in depth information/ a longer read. Otherwise the information presented was succinct and easy to read. That’s 20 words

[Marcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting man and period in history. Well researched, but rather dull.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just long enough to give you a really good background and insight into Lorenzo without boring you to tears. It moves steadily and easily forward. It kept me interested and engaged, which is almost unheard of for me!