The Italian Renaissance was a period of extraordinary growth and culture. Renaissance means rebirth, and European culture, society, and art were reborn and transformed during this age. Sculptors, artists, musicians, and writers began to dramatically shape the world around them. Amazing works of art by some of the world’s greatest artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, were produced, and new philosophical ideas such as humanism became popular. At the center of the Italian Renaissance was the Medici family and the city of Florence.
In the late fourteenth century, Italy was a divided country and each city was a state within itself. In Florence, one of the largest and most important cities, many members of the Medici family held public office and were well-known city officials. But the most powerful members of the Medici family ruled from behind the scenes. With their vast amounts of money and strong influence, the Medici family manipulated and directed politics and culture. Although Florence’s government appeared to be a republic, meaning a state ruled by representatives chosen by the people, it was, in fact, more of a monarchy.
The first Medici to truly rule the city was Cosimo the Elder, who lived from 1389 to 1464. Together with the Roman Catholic Church, the Medici family founded a successful banking company, which collected money from people throughout Italy and much of Europe, so the Medici became extremely wealthy. Even though they were members of the patrician class—a high social class—the Medici family worked hard to aid the middle and lower classes. In return, the family enjoyed broad support from the people of Florence. Cosimo the Elder, in particular, was a favorite of the working and lower classes, since he lived humbly and spent most of his great wealth on projects to improve the city. His popularity had much to do with his deep belief in humanism and his commitment to art, culture, and education.
Humanism was an idea that emerged during the Renaissance and soon found widespread acceptance; this philosophy acknowledged that God created humankind, but celebrated the role of humans in creating civilization. This concept was also closely tied to the belief that art, literature, and science—indeed, all culture—made human beings deeply valuable. Human worth and value were praised and artistic skill was highly respected, so possessing talent for the fine arts, architecture, or literature could lead a person to great achievements in society. Influenced by these humanist ideals, Cosimo publicly invited scholars and writers to his palace and encouraged them to explore new insights into society and the human condition. Cosimo also believed that everyone should have access to education and the arts, so he helped create hundreds of Christian charities, schools, and churches, in addition to supporting the creation of performance spaces for poor artists.
As a result of Cosimo’s hard work and beliefs, Florence thrived in business and culture. He created the largest public library in Europe, which held some of the most important works of history, including ancient Greek and Roman texts, many of which are still widely read today. He also created an academy where ancient and modern texts were studied by the best minds in Italy. In addition to his public contributions, Cosimo personally supported the arts and was a patron of some of the best-known Renaissance artists and sculptors, such as Donatello and Brunelleschi. Under his leadership, Florence became the cultural center of Italy and much of Europe, a truly great city of the golden age of the Renaissance.
The second influential member of the Medici family was Lorenzo the Magnificent, Cosimo the Elder’s grandson, who lived from 1449 to 1492. Like his grandfather and many of the other Medici, Lorenzo ruled Florence unofficially from behind the scenes and was popular with the middle and working classes. He too was a humanist and very devoted to education and the arts. But, although Lorenzo’s power was still supported by the tremendous Medici wealth, he was not the astute businessman that his grandfather had been, and Florence’s economy suffered. His bad banking decisions actually led the Medici family to lose some of their fortune. Lorenzo was also not as politically gifted as Cosimo, and relations between the Pope and Florence worsened during his rule, finally resulting in a war. But even though Lorenzo’s decisions did not always lead to greater economic and political success for the city, Florence remained a bustling center of trade and culture. Trade in luxury items such as spices and fine fabrics flourished, and Florence, already powerful after Cosimo’s rule, remained strong.
Most importantly, Lorenzo the Magnificent was a major patron of the arts. In his 23-year reign over Florence, the Renaissance reached its peak and the city experienced a golden age. The Florence court had the greatest number of master artists of any place in the world, and the city saw a tremendous amount of construction and activity. The center of Lorenzo’s court was the Palazzo Medici or Medici Palace, which had been built by Cosimo and renovated by Lorenzo. In the 1470s and 1480s, this magnificently decorated palace was home to some of the greatest artists and philosophers in Italy.
Lorenzo supported the arts by commissioning works from new artists and then allowing them to live in the palace. Most importantly, he introduced their art to Florence and made them famous. Lorenzo loved to surround himself with artists; he himself was also an accomplished poet, writer, and painter—what we would call today "a Renaissance man," a person with abilities in many areas. His poetry, in particular, was highly praised. He was a patron to many great men, such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, both sculptors and painters, and Machiavelli, an influential politician and writer. All these men became influential artists and thinkers who helped create a name for Florence during the Renaissance.
Throughout these years, Lorenzo maintained the image of the Medici as one of the great families in Italy, and famous politicians, intellectuals, and artists were always visiting the Medici Palace. Lorenzo was considered a strong ruler who truly believed in the ideals of the Renaissance. He held total power in the city and brought prestige and greatness to Florence, which is why he is known as Lorenzo the Magnificent.
When Lorenzo the Magnificent died in 1492, Medici power in Florence weakened for a short period under the rule of his sons. Later, however, members of the family rose again to powerful positions, such as cardinal and even pope. Until the seventeenth century, the Medici family remained one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Florence. But Cosimo the Elder and his grandson, Lorenzo the Magnificent, remain the most famous of the Medici rulers. Their generous sponsorship of the arts and their commitment to education and humanistic ideals are an inspiration to wealthy patrons around the world today.