Medici’s Florence: Historical Power

Intrigue, wealth, and power are the legacies of the de' Medici family which reigned in Florence for four centuries. Many things have been written regarding the Medici's and their dynasty, whilst staying in one of the apartments in Florence you can enjoy first hand their all-encompassing heritage. You can visit old family homes, research the popes they produced, and see their artistic legacy in the Uffizi Museum. With such an interesting and mysterious family to study and research while on holiday, short term rentals in Florence make perfect sense. In this way you can stay affordably as well as enjoy the wealth of beauty, architecture, and history that fills Florence. 

Popes, Art, and Banking: The Medici Contributions

Legacies abound in Florence on behalf of the Medici family with four popes and two regent queens. Pope Leo X, Pope Pius IV, Pope Clement VII, and Pope Leo XI were all Medici's. Marie de' Medici and Catherine de' Medici became regent queens in the 17th and 16th centuries, respectively. This led the family to become hereditary Dukes of Florence.

This powerful family was not only helpful in putting popes and queens in power, but also well known for their artistic contributions. They are the Italian Renaissance, fostering textile trades within the guild. They helped Leonardo de Vinci rise in fame and plenty of their core artworks are in the Uffizi Museum today.

The most well-known commerce the de' Medici's left behind was the Medici Bank. With their political power they were able to prosper and begin one of the most respected banking institutions of Europe. Later they had notable influence on accounting as a profession with the upgrades made to the general ledger system and the development of the double entry system for bookkeeping. Unfortunately, wealth and power often lead to disaster when those less savvy in business take over, which is the case with Medici Bank. After numerous branches and making the bank the largest in Europe, it eventually fell into insolvency. All branches were closed and the fame of the Medici's became history rather than current. Even though branches of the House of Medici still exist the bank does not.

Explore the Dark Side of the Medici’s

The Medici's were notorious for many reasons including their assassinations. On their rise to power they helped place popes, people of wealth into power, and ran much of Italy. This created a darker side of the family and eventually led to the end of their bank and the pull of power by those also increasing their wealth. It was with some fanatical and not so savvy Medici's that the bank and their legacy is less prolific such as the Bonfire of the Vanities in which numerous great works were torched.

With many hands in Florence's creation, the Medici legacy lives on for you to enjoy. Apartments in Florence make it possible to immerse into this culture and heritage that essentially made Florence one of the wealthiest cities in Europe for nearly four centuries.