The Medici (Italian Histories)

This book is amazing. It is not just a biography of the Medici family, but a vivid history of the Renaissance, covering about 250 years of Medici influence and the transformation of European civilization. Strathern introduces a whole world of artists, thinkers, and scientists — Brunelleschi, Donatello, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Copernicus, Galileo, and more. The Medici rise from cautious bankers to godfathers of a cultural revolution, while the Florentine florin becomes a trusted currency that helps lay the foundations of modern capitalism. What stood out most for me is how alive the people feel. Lorenzo the Magnificent appears not only as a ruler but also as a musician, poet, athlete, and philosopher, while Cosimo de’ Medici struggles with guilt over usury as he reads Plato late into the night. The rivalry between Leonardo and Michelangelo, and small human details like Cosimo stopping an important meeting to carve a flute for his grandson, make the history very human and memorable. The book also explains the bigger picture: how Europe spent centuries in intellectual darkness, how ancient knowledge survived in the Middle East, and how the rediscovery of classical texts helped spark humanism and modern science. From Brunelleschi’s dome to Galileo’s “book of Nature,” Strathern shows why the conflict between the Church and science was almost inevitable. By the end, the decline of the Medici feels tragic. Florence, once a center of power and creativity, becomes just a chapter in history; the Medici even help trigger the Protestant Reformation through the sale of indulgences. The book does not hide the darker side: massacres, corruption, and ruthless political tactics. The writing style can be demanding — it is closer to academic history than to a novel — but if you enjoy detailed history and ideas, it is absolutely worth the effort. This book changed how I see the Renaissance, the birth of modern science, and the tension between our spiritual values and political reality.

This popular history of the amazing family Medici was just what I needed to catch up on an astonishing time in European history. This is decidedly NOT a scholarly treatise, as any true historian of the period would be, and has been, quick to point out, but it is briskly written and in the main, as far as I can tell, factually accurate. The intertwining of art, politics, and sheer skullduggery is delightful to devour. I recommend it, being sure to warn you about what you are and are not getting.

Overall, this was a very enjoyable book. The narrative was easy to follow and moved along quickly. The author can be commended for covering over 300 years of history in an easy-to-follow writing style. The book starts in the early 1400s and ends in the early 1700s. I bought this book to gain insight into medieval politics and intrigue; especially the papal wars and conspiracies. This included the assassination attempt on Lorenzo the Magnificent during mass at the cathedral in Florence. The book covers several famous individuals such as Machiavelli and the two Medici Popes, Leo X and Clement VII. Not only does the author cover numerous political topics, he also gives a mini education on renaissance art and science The Medici sponsored, or were otherwise involved, with some of history’s greatest artists and engineers such as Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Galileo. The final chapters cover Medici marriages and how they became royalty. Eventually, however, the blood line died out. All in all, this was a fascinating read and much better than I anticipated.

It is a good book

Written like a text book, but easy to read. The lineage chart in the front was extremely helpful as I constantly referred to it to understand who belonged to whom. I had seen the Netflix series and became intrigued with the family...that is why I chose to read this book. As someone who loves and admires art, I learned so much more about the Renaissance and how this family's wealth and power influenced that time period. The electing of a pope was extremely eye opening as well. Now I want to visit Florence and Milan to witness what I read.

Very readable history of the Medici family. HIghly recommend to anyone interested in both history of Florence and Italy at large. Lots of details yet still quite readable.

Held off ordering this for a while but glad I finally did as I’m a quarter way in and really enjoying it. You don’t have to be familiar with the Medicis to read this but of course if you are it brings together all of their history in a fascinating, novelistic way. Loved this one.

In my opinion, the Medici were one of the most interesting families of history. Banking and trading, arts and science patronage throughout the Renaissance, Vatican politics... they did it all. This book not only tells this story of the Medici, but zooms out enough to give you a sense of the world at the time so that you can better understand how they so profoundly affected it. The author has a great writing style, too. It’s intelligent, but also sports a novelist’s flare that pulls you along with its imagery and frequent wit.

This is truly a very scary family, much like a modern mafia clan. I find it quite remarkable these practising catholics were capable of such vile deeds. A seriously good read.

Wonderful book, too bad the copy sold by Amazon seems to be counterfeit so that the print typecast isn’t uniform (neither type nor size). Unfortunately this seems to be a recurring issue with Amazon. Lately, many books come this way: with a strangely plastified cover, questionable paper quality, and heterogeneous print.

Habe das Buch meinem Vater geschenkt, weil er sich für die Medici interessiert. Er ist von dem Buch begeistert. Er sagt, die historischen Fakten werden super mit Unterhaltung kombiniert, liest sich gut!

One word.....top book. One of my favourite topic and there are few pages with colourful pictures depicting the work of LDV and Michealangelo.

I decided to read this book after watching the TV series on Netflix - Masters of Florence. The book is a gem. Paul's writing style is so engaging that it feels like you are reading fiction. Almost every chapter ends with something that makes you think "Uh what happens next?". And the amount of fascinating information in there is mind blowing, from how Florence rose to be one of the powerful cities in Italy, to how it went down, to Galileo Galilei, to Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and many other. Italics was born in Florence. How the Catasto was used as a political instrument. It is really a must read! At first I was a bit worried about the reviews saying that the author was homophobic but after reading it I can tell he is perfectly balanced and neutral when talking about people's sexual inclinations. There is absolutely nothing wrong with his writing.