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
Medici,
Catherine de' 1519-89; queen of Henry II of France (1547-59)
Fr. name
Medici,
Cosimo de' 1389-1464; head of the Florentine Republic: called the Elder
Medici,
Cosimo I de' 1519-74; grand duke of Tuscany (1569-74): called the Great
Medici,
Lorenzo de' 1449-92; ruler of Florence (1469-92): called the Magnificent
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.