The Medici family has long fascinated historians and the public alike—a dynasty of brilliant bankers, ambitious rulers, dazzling patrons of the arts, and powerful women who shaped politics and culture behind the scenes. They were celebrated and feared, admired and envied, remembered both as visionaries and schemers.
This course explores the rise and decline of the Medici family, tracing their extraordinary role in shaping the cultural, political, and economic life of Florence and Europe from the late Middle Ages to the dawn of the modern era. We will investigate their contributions to art, philosophy, literature, banking, and politics, their influence on the Renaissance, and their pivotal role in the religious and political upheavals of the Reformation, while distinguishing between the myths that surround them and the historical realities.
By engaging with primary texts, major works of art, and the scholarship of leading historians, students will gain a deeper understanding of the Medici legacy as both patrons and power-brokers. We will ask: How did a family of bankers come to dominate Florence? How did they influence the Renaissance and open paths to modern thought and reform? And what explains their eventual decline?
Semester Offered
Course Component