House of Medici

(noun)

An Italian banking family, political dynasty and later royal house in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century that had a major impact of the rise of the Italian Renaissance.

Related Terms

Examples of House of Medici in the following topics:

  • Italian Politics

    • Italian politics during the time of the Renaissance was dominated by the rising merchant class, especially one family, the House of Medici, whose power in Florence was nearly absolute.
    • The House of Medici was an Italian banking family, political dynasty and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century.
    • Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici was the first of the Medici political dynasty and had tremendous political power in Florence.
    • Aeneas Sylvius, Bishop of Siena and later Pope Pius II, said of him: "Political questions are settled in [Cosimo's] house.
    • Portrait of Cosimo de' Medici, the found of the House of Medici, by Jacopo Pontormo; the laurel branch (il Broncone) was a symbol used also by his heirs.

  • Art and Patronage

    • Many have emphasized the role played by the Medici, a banking family and later ducal ruling house, in patronizing and stimulating the arts.
    • The House of Medici was an Italian banking family, political dynasty and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century.
    • The Medici were responsible for the majority of Florentine art during their reign.
    • In architecture, the Medici are responsible for some notable features of Florence; including the Uffizi Gallery, the Boboli Gardens, the Belvedere,the Medici Chapel and the Palazzo Medici.
    • Marie de' Medici, widow of Henry IV of France and mother of Louis XIII, is the subject of a commissioned cycle of paintings known as the Marie de' Medici cycle, painted for the Luxembourg Palace by court painter Peter Paul Rubens in 1622-23.

  • Private Patronage

    • A patron of the arts is a person who pays for or commissions works of art.
    • Since ancient times, patronage of the arts has been important to the development of many artistic movements, works, and styles.
    • Another example of a well-known patron of the arts is Catherine de Medici, who made a significant contribution to the French Renaissance through her widespread patronage .
    • While the contemporary emphasis on artistic freedom generally dictates that the specifics of an artwork be left up to the artist, patrons, in the past, would dictate materials, style, and subjects of works of art.
    • A well-known patron of the arts is Catherine de Medici, who made a significant contribution to the French Renaissance through her widespread patronage.

  • Rome and the Papal States

    • Rome was a center of Renaissance culture in the second half of the 15th century, and its Pope-Kings were important patrons of the arts.
    • In the latter half of the 15th century, the seat of the Italian Renaissance moved from Florence to Rome.
    • Rome reached the highest point of splendor under Pope Julius II (1503–1513) and his successors Leo X and Clement VII, both members of the Medici family.
    • The Pietà is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture by Michelangelo Buonarroti, housed in St.
    • Assess the influence of the Popes as patrons of the arts

  • Renaissance Architecture

    • It demonstrates a conscious revival and development of certain elements of classical thought and material culture.
    • Although studying and mastering the details of the ancient Romans was one of the important aspects of Renaissance architectural theory, the style also became more decorative and ornamental, with a widespread use of statuary, domes, and cupolas.
    • However, the forms and purposes of buildings had changed over time, as had the structure of cities, which is reflected in the resulting fusion of classical and 16th century forms.
    • Basements and ground floors were sometimes rusticated, as modeled on the Palazzo Medici Riccardi (1444–1460) in Florence.
    • The Dome of St Peter's Basilica, Rome is often cited as a foundational piece of Renaissance architecture.

  • France and Cardinal Richelieu

    • Richelieu's successful policies leading to the consolidation of the royal power, centralization of the state, and strengthening the international position of France paved the way for the authoritarian rule of Louis XIV.
    • Like Concini, the Bishop was one of the closest advisers of Louis XIII's mother, Marie de Médicis.
    • Concini was consequently assassinated and Marie de Médicis overthrown.
    • In 1619, Marie de Médicis escaped from her confinement.
    • The defeat of Habsburg forces at the Battle of Lens, and their failure to prevent French invasion of Catalonia effectively spelled the end for Habsburg domination of the continent.

  • The French Wars of Religion

    • The conflict involved the factional disputes between the aristocratic houses of France, such as the House of Bourbon and House of Guise, and both sides received assistance from foreign sources.
    • The wars gradually took on a dynastic character, developing into an extended feud between the Houses of Bourbon and Guise, both of which—in addition to holding rival religious views—staked a claim to the French throne.
    • The crown, occupied by the House of Valois, generally supported the Catholic side, but on occasion switched over to the Protestant cause when politically expedient.
    • One of the most infamous events of the Wars of Religion was the St.
    • To the left rear, Catherine de' Medici is shown emerging from the Château du Louvre to inspect a heap of bodies.

  • Conference Committee

    • The conference committee is usually composed of the senior members of the standing committees of each house that originally considered the legislation.
    • The two houses can reach that identical product through the process of amendments between Houses, where the House passes the Senate bill with a House amendment, or vice versa.
    • Each house determines the number of conferees from its house.
    • In such a case, the rules of each house provide that a Member may object through a point of order, although each house has procedures under which it can vote to waive the point of order.
    • The conference committee produces a conference report melding the work of the House and Senate into a final version of the bill.

  • Housing Policy

    • In 1937, the Wagner-Stegall Housing Act established the United States Housing Authority Housing Act (USHA) of 1937.
    • One of the most unique U.S. public housing initiatives was the development of subsidized middle-class housing during the late New Deal (1940–42) under the auspices of the Mutual Ownership Defense Housing Division of the Federal Works Agency under the direction of Colonel Lawrence Westbrook.
    • They are intended to increase the availability of affordable housing and improve the quality of low-income housing, while avoiding problems associated with concentrated subsidized housing.
    • Where to construct these housing units and how to gain the support of the community are issues of concern when it comes to public housing.
    • Hylan Houses in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York City.

  • Philip II and the Spanish Armada

    • The son of Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire, and his wife, Infanta Isabella of Portugal, Philip II of Spain was born in 1527.
    • She was a daughter of Philip's maternal uncle, John III of Portugal, and paternal aunt, Catherine of Austria.
    • Philip's third wife was Elisabeth of Valois, the eldest daughter of Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici.
    • The Spanish Empire was not a single monarchy with one legal system but a federation of separate realms, each jealously guarding its own rights against those of the House of Habsburg.
    • A distant view of the Royal Seat of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.