Medici
| House of Medici Italian: Casa de' Medici |
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|---|---|
| Noble family | |
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| Country | Italy |
| Estates |
Medici villas (all Tuscany) Palazzo Medici Riccardi (Florence) Palazzo Pitti (Florence) Palazzo Vecchio (Florence) |
| Titles | |
| Style(s) | "His/Her Royal Highness" "His/Her Excellency" "Don" |
| Founded | 1169 |
| Founder | Giambuono de' Medici |
| Final ruler | John Gaston I |
| Current head | The original line ended in 1737. Medici-Ottajano: Ottaviano de' Medici |
| Deposition | 1737 |
| Ethnicity | Italian |
| Cadet branches |
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The House of Medici (/ˈmɛdᵻtʃi/ MED-i-chee; Italian pronunciation: [ˈmɛːditʃi]) 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 family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside, gradually rising until they were able to fund the Medici Bank. The bank was the largest in Europe during the 15th century, seeing the Medici gain political power in Florence — though officially they remained citizens rather than monarchs.
The Medici produced three Popes of the Catholic Church—Pope Leo X (1513–1521), Pope Clement VII (1523–1534), and Pope Leo XI (1605); two regent queens of France—Catherine de' Medici (1547–1559) and Marie de' Medici (1600–1610). In 1531, the family became hereditary Dukes of Florence. In 1569, the duchy was elevated to a grand duchy after territorial expansion. They ruled the Grand Duchy of Tuscany from its inception until 1737, with the death of Gian Gastone de' Medici. The grand duchy witnessed degrees of economic growth under the earlier grand dukes, but by the time of Cosimo III de' Medici, Tuscany was fiscally bankrupt.
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