Medici Family
Cosimo de' Medici
Cosimo de’ Medici (1389–1464), known as Cosimo the Elder, was a Florentine banker, statesman, and arts patron who became the de facto leader of Florence from 1434 until his death. Through control of the Medici Bank, strategic alliances, and extensive cultural patronage, he reshaped Florentine politics and helped catalyze Renaissance humanism, earning the posthumous honorific Pater Patriae (Father of the Fatherland).
Lorenzo de' Medici
Lorenzo de' Medici (1449–1492), known as Lorenzo il Magnifico, was the de facto leader of Florence and a central patron of the Italian Renaissance. A statesman, banker, and poet, he steered Florentine politics during and after the Pazzi Conspiracy, cultivated a renowned humanist circle around Marsilio Ficino, and supported artists including Botticelli, Leonardo, and the young Michelangelo.