1389-1464
Florentine Banker

Famous Family. One of the greatest families of the Italian Renaissance was the Medici family of Florence. In the course of the sixteenth century, Medicis became popes (Leo X and Clement VII), queens of France (Catherine de Medici and Marie de Medici), and the grand dukes of Tuscany when Florence's republican constitution was overthrown. However, the Medicis did not start out as nobles—their rise to power rested on their role in creating a more modern system of international banking. A pivotal figure in that rise to power was Cosimo de Medici of Florence.

Papal Connections. The Medici bank was founded by Giovanni di Bicci de Medici in the late fourteenth century in Rome to lend money to papal projects. The association with Rome was to be an important part of the Medicis' success. Under Pope John XXIII, the Rome office...