Empires: The Medici: The Medici Popes and Power Versus Truth

The Medici Popes: This episode focused on the son and nephew of Lorenzo de Medici, Giovanni de Medici and Giulio de Medici. After Lorenzo's death, the cousins were forced out of the city by zealous followers of Savonarola and Florentine rebels, including the infamous Niccolo Machiavelli. At that time, Giovanni was already a cardinal, and Giulio was a priest. Only by traveling in secret to Rome itself and seeking the aid of Pope Julius could they hope to retake the city. Returning with Julius' army in tow, they advanced to attack Florence, massacring all who stood in their way. Machiavelli a member of Florence's new political council, attempted to raise an army of citizen-soldiers, but they were crushed by Julius' hardened force and Florence was retaken by the Medici. After the Medici reoccupied their city, Giovanni, already a cardinal, cast the deciding vote for his election as pope after Julius' death. Now Pope Leo II, Giovanni went about strengthening both the Church and the Medici dynasty. Although he succeeded at weathering assassination attempts, Pope Leo's excesses exhausted the papal coffers, and he reverted to the sale of indulgences as a moneymaking strategy. This tactic locked him in a struggle with the German Reformer Martin Luther, a struggle which would tear the Catholic Church in two and weaken the power of the Papacy. After Leo's death from natural causes, his cousin Giulio succeeded him as Pope Clement. As Rome was invaded by violent followers of Luther, however, Clement locked himself away in Rome's most secure fortress, eventually fleeing, disguised as a peasant, with the papal jewels hidden in his clothing. But his own death was not long from passing, and he died powerless, leaving the Medici dynasty weak and broken.

Power Versus Truth: This episode highlights the last influence of the Medici in Florence as patrons of the arts and sciences. Under Duke Cosimo I de Medici, a distant cousin to the main Medici line, the arts flourished anew, as did an efficient ruling bureaucracy. Cosimo and his propagandist, Giorgio Vasari, created a massive bureaucratic system that Cosimo could control in safety, along with mass-produced art highlighting the glories of the Medici. In the late Renaissance, however, science began to rise above art in its importance. Cosimo's descendants commissioned the finest minds of the Renaissance, including Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo Galilei. Their patronage of Galileo, however, led them into conflict with the Catholic Church's Inquisition, and they were forced to retract their support of him as he was forced to recant and put under house arrest. Within another century, the once-powerful Medici of the Renaissance disappeared into a new age - one that they had helped to create with their patronage of art and science.

Empires: The Medici - Birth of a Dynasty and the Magnificent Medici

Empires: The Medici - Godfathers of the Renaissance is a documentary available for download on Netflix that follows the path of the ruling Medici family of Florence throughout the Renaissance and shows their inauguration of an age of art through shrewd political maneuvering and generous patronage. It was divided into four distinct 55-minute episodes, entitled Birth of a Dynasty, The Magnificent Medici, The Medici Pope, and Power Versus Truth.

Birth of a Dynasty: This episode highlighted the rise to power of the Medici family in Florence, Italy during the dawn of the Renaissance. It began with the rise of the Medici bank under Giovanni de Medici and his son Cosimo, demonstrating how their financial backing of a successful papal candidate granted them rising levels of prestige amid Florence. It then recounted Cosimo's attempts to gain power in the face of the ruling Albizzi family through both canny politics and his patronage of Brunelleschi, a brilliant artisan who would attempt to succeed where all had failed - by constructing a massive dome to complete Florence's cathedral. As Brunelleschi worked, Cosimo was imprisoned by the Albizzi and tried for treason against the state. Only through a combination of bribery and friendship did Cosimo escape with his life, fleeing the city with Brunelleschi and his supporters. However, without the economic flow provided by the Medici banks, the city's commerce dried up, causing the populace to push for the return of the Medici. And return Cosimo did, allowing Brunelleschi to finish his dome and claiming sole rulership of the city. As Brunelleschi's dome was completed, Cosimo hosted a massive celebration of the arts in Florence, showcasing his patronage and the newfound power of the Medici to visitors from across Europe and Asia.

The Magnificent Medici: This episode showed the extravagant Medici patronage of the arts under Lorenzo de Medici. It began with the marriage and rise to power of Lorenzo de Medici, grandson of the great Cosimo. With his patronage of such talented artisans as the daring Botticelli and the young Michelangelo, Lorenzo secured political and popular strength for the Medici dynasty, becoming known as Lorenzo "the Magnificent." Lorenzo banked on popular support as well, granting favors to common visitors in exchange for their gratitude and whatever they were able to offer. Although assassins set upon him during mass in the great cathedral, killing his brother, Lorenzo survived, and with the support of the people purged Florence of his attempted murderers. However, with his continued patronage of the arts and extravagant parties, as well as the expenditure necessary to have his son Giovanni appointed cardinal, the Medici coffers began to run dry. A monk known as Savonarola fought Medici extravagance, building the populace into a fervent belief that Lorenzo was leading the city on a path of sin. Now on his deathbed, Lorenzo called for mercy from Savonarola and Cardinal Giovanni, but was cursed by Savonarola before he died.

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