Medici

(medə c̸hē′)

noun

name of a family of rich, powerful bankers, merchants, & rulers of Florence & Tuscany in the 14th, 15th, & 16th cent., also noted as patrons of art & literature

Related Forms:

  1. Medici, Catherine de' 1519-89; queen of Henry II of France (1547-59)
    Fr. name
  2. Medici, Cosimo de' 1389-1464; head of the Florentine Republic: called the Elder
  3. Medici, Cosimo I de' 1519-74; grand duke of Tuscany (1569-74): called the Great
  4. Medici, Lorenzo de' 1449-92; ruler of Florence (1469-92): called the Magnificent
  5. Medici, Maria de' 1573-1642; queen of Henry IV of France (1600-10): queen regent (1610-17)
    Fr. name

See Medici in American Heritage Dictionary 4

Italian noble family that produced three popes (Leo X, Clement VII, and Leo XI) and two queens of France (Catherine de Médicis and Marie de Médicis). Cosimo “the Elder” (1389-1464) was the first of the family to rule Florence. Lorenzo “the Magnificent” (1449-1492) was an outstanding patron of learning and the arts, whose clients included Michelangelo and Botticelli.

Related Forms:

  • Medˌi·ceˈan (-chēˈən, -sēˈ-) adjective

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