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The Medici

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Medici presents a fresh and compelling account of the powerful family that ruled Florence for over two centuries. Mary Hollingsworth challenges the traditional view of the Medici as enlightened patrons of the Renaissance, revealing instead a story of political cunning, ruthless ambition, and moral ambiguity. This definitive biography explores how their quest for power shaped the cultural and political landscape of Italy, blending art, literature, philosophy, and brutality.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in Renaissance history, political intrigue, and biographical studies of influential families. Scholars and general readers fascinated by Italian history and the complexities behind the Medici legacy will find this a gripping and illuminating read.

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A fresh telling of the rise and fall of the House of Medici, the family that dominated political and cultural life in Florence for three centuries.

A fresh telling of the rise and fall of the House of Medici, the family that dominated political and cultural life in Florence for three centuries.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A fresh telling of the rise and fall of the House of Medici, the family that dominated political and cultural life in Florence for three centuries.

'This forensic study of the Renaissance banking dynasty conjures up a world of art, literature, philosophy – and brutality' Telegraph

'Likely to become the standard work of reference on the members of the family that dominated Florence' TLS

'A lucid and beautifully illustrated family history' The Times

Wealthy bankers, wise politicians, patrons of the arts, glittering dukes... so runs the traditional telling of the story of the Medici, the family that ruled Florence for two hundred years and inspired the birth of the Italian Renaissance.

In this definitive account of their rise and fall, Mary Hollingsworth argues that the idea that the Medici were wise rulers and enlightened fathers of the Renaissance is a fiction. In truth, she says, the Medici were as devious and immoral as the Borgias – tyrants loathed in the city they illegally made their own and which they beggared in their lust for power.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781786691538

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 10 January 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Head of Zeus

Illustration: 100 illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 145.0mm

Height: 228.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 480

About the Author

Mary Hollingsworth is a scholar of the Italian Renaissance, and author of The Cardinal's Hat, The Borgias: History's Most Notorious Dynasty and Patronage in Renaissance Italy: From 1400 to the Early Sixteenth Century.

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