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Book Review of House of Medici: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Medici Family and Dynasty

House of Medici: A Captivating Guide to the History of the Medici Family and Dynasty
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Every time I pick up some history related to Italy in the 15th and 16th centuries, the Medici name is prominent. So, I was delighted to see that Captivating History would take on the notorious Medici's for contemporary readers. I knew we would have fun when the author named the Medici family the "Godfathers of the Renaissance." However, it is true; they promoted, paid for, and protected some of the greatest talents to come out of the Renaissance (da Vinci and Galileo come to mind).

This overview covers the important facts of the rise, the Medici dynasty, and the eventual decline of this prominent family of Florence. When Cosimo de Medici rose to power, he spent lavishly on the arts and humanities of Florence, which turned the city into the cradle of the Renaissance.

The Medicis, directly and indirectly, influenced Europe and the world from the early 1400s to the late 1500s -- and beyond.