How the Medici Shaped the Renaissance

Episode 2

The Foundations of Medici Greatness

Chart the extraordinary life of Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici, considered the founder of the Medici family. Learn how Giovanni founded the Medici bank, and rose through banking and government to a position of great wealth and eminence, building a coalition of Florentines dedicated to Medici interests. Observe how the Medici family and bank became a controlling interest in Florentine politics.

Episode 3

The Godfather: Cosimo de’ Medici

Cosimo de’ Medici, heir to Giovanni, took the reins of the Medici family and its dynasty. Grasp how Cosimo amassed power through patronage of the humanities and financial dealings with government. Witness the crises through which he ultimately dominated the Republic of Florence, highlighting the role of the Duomo Cathedral and the astonishing story of his exile and return to Florence as ruler.

Episode 4

The Gouty: Piero de’ Medici

Learn how Cosimo de’ Medici undertook to make Florence the most beautiful city in Europe, commissioning numerous public buildings and masterpieces of art. Then follow the brief reign of his son, Piero, whose skillful navigation of currents of dissent and revolution, aided by the brilliant partnership of his wife, Lucrezia, solidified the foundations of the Medici dynasty.

Episode 5

Lorenzo the Magnificent

Delve into the early life of Lorenzo, the most celebrated of the Medici, where he excelled as a poet, author, and diplomat. Grasp how Lorenzo skillfully balanced his obligations to the state with his love of art, family, and fine living. Witness his ascent to become chief advisor to Florence’s government, and the political trials that led to a conspiracy and attempt on his life.

Episode 6

Magnificence Achieved

Assess the extraordinary accomplishments and influence of Lorenzo de’ Medici, called Il Magnifico. Observe how, excommunicated by the pope and facing vast political challenges and threats of war, he almost single-handedly held Italy peacefully together, balancing the powers of Venice, Milan, Naples, and Rome, while maintaining his family’s wealth and its grip on Florence.

Episode 7

The First Collapse of the Medici Regime

Examine the extraordinary circumstances of Lorenzo de’ Medici’s decline and death, highlighting the role of the politically influential friar, Girolamo Savonarola. Follow the highly charged events surrounding Piero de’ Medici’s assumption of power, and the outbreak of bloody war which ultimately forced Piero and his brothers to flee into exile, ending 60 years of Medici power in Florence.

Episode 8

Theocracy and Republicanism at Florence

Relive the period in which the Florentine Republic was reinstated in a populist revolution overseen by the religious figure of Savonarola. Trace the upheavals that led to Savonarola’s fall, and the maneuvering by the Medici in Rome to ally with the papacy and the Spanish. Witness the military actions through which, after nearly 20 years in exile, the Medici returned as rulers of Florence.

Episode 9

The Medici Restoration

Study the political landscape of Florence under the direction of the Cardinal Giovanni de’ Medici and his younger brother, Giuliano, the secular head of the family. Learn the dramatic story of the ensuing conspiracy to assassinate Giuliano, and Giovanni’s elevation as Pope Leo X. Observe the internecine struggles within the family culminating with a second Medici pope and the brutal sack of Rome.

Episode 10

The Last Florentine Republic

Following the expulsion of the Medici from Florence in the wake of the sack of Rome, study the divisions that plagued the final Florentine Republic. Witness the political alliances that led to the siege of Florence by the Holy Roman Emperor, the events ending in the return of the Medici to the city, and the rewriting of the Florentine constitution, naming the Medici as hereditary rulers.

Episode 11

The Black Prince: Alessandro de’ Medici

Carefully consider Alessandro de’ Medici, a debauched and cruel ruler. Learn about the “cult of Brutus,” a movement that believed in assassination to achieve republican goals, and its connection with the sordid death of Alessandro. Then, encounter his successor, the ruthless and capable Cosimo de’ Medici, who further solidified Medici power, as well as Florence’s stature and independence.

Episode 12

Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany

Conclude with a view of some of the later Medici luminaries. Among them, assess the accomplishments of Cosimo de’ Medici, granted the title of Grand Duke; the judicious Ferdinando de’ Medici, whose civic and social policies attended a new era of prosperity; and Catherine de Medici, who imported Florentine culture to France as the French queen. Finally, learn about the Medici dynasty’s decline.