Cosimo de' Medici

Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici
	Posthumous portrait by Bronzino
Lord of Florence
Reign	6 October 1434 – 1 August 1464
Successor	Piero the Gouty
Full name	Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici
Born	27 September 1389; Florence, Republic of Florence
Died	1 August 1464 (aged 74); Careggi, Republic of Florence
Noble family	Medici
Spouse(s)	Contessina de' Bardi
Issue	Piero the Gouty; Giovanni de' Medici; Carlo di Cosimo de' Medici (illegitimate)
Father	Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici
Mother	Piccarda Bueri

Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 – 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who established the Medici family as effective rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance. His power derived from his wealth as a banker and intermarriage with other rich and powerful families.^[1] He was a patron of arts, learning, and architecture.^[2] He spent over 600,000 gold florins^[3]^[4] (approx. $500 million inflation adjusted) on art and culture, including Donatello's David, the first freestanding nude male sculpture since antiquity.

Despite his influence, his power was not absolute; he was viewed by fellow Florentine politicians as first among equals rather than an autocrat.^[5] Florence's legislative councils resisted his proposals throughout his political career, even sending him into exile from 1433 to 1434.

^ "An Introduction to the Course – Introduction, Empirical Background and Definitions". Coursera. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
^ Strathern, Paul (2005). The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance. London: Pimlico. pp. 45–126. ISBN 978-1-84413-098-6.
^ "Medici Patronage Notes < Brunelleschi". bdml.stanford.edu. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
^ "How the Medici family's influences are still felt today". Guide. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
^ Martines, Lauro (2011). The Social World of the Florentine Humanists, 1390–1460. University of Toronto Press. p. 8.

[1] "An Introduction to the Course – Introduction, Empirical Background and Definitions". Coursera. Retrieved 30 September 2022.

[2] Strathern, Paul (2005). The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance. London: Pimlico. pp. 45–126. ISBN 978-1-84413-098-6.

[3] "Medici Patronage Notes < Brunelleschi". bdml.stanford.edu. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 20 May 2021.

[4] "How the Medici family's influences are still felt today". Guide. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2021.

[:4-5] Martines, Lauro (2011). The Social World of the Florentine Humanists, 1390–1460. University of Toronto Press. p. 8.

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