Florentine bankers who governed the republic informally, produced three popes (Leo X, Clement VII and Leo XI) and, from 1569, were Grand Dukes of Tuscany until the line ended in 1737.
Arms. Or, five roundels gules and, in chief, a larger roundel azure charged with three fleurs-de-lis or. The French roundel was granted by Louis XI in 1465.
Descent, marriage and inheritance connect houses in different ways. Each documented link retains its own explanation.
The family fortune came from the bank founded by Giovanni di Bicci in the late fourteenth century, with branches in Rome, Venice, Bruges and London. His son Cosimo the Elder returned from exile in 1434 and thereafter directed Florence without holding a princely office, through client networks and control of the magistracies.
Lorenzo the Magnificent maintained that informal power and the prestige of patronage. Expelled in 1494 and again in 1527, the Medici returned with support from their popes, Leo X and Clement VII, and Charles V. Alessandro became the first duke (1532). Cosimo I, from the Popolani branch, conquered Siena and received the title Grand Duke of Tuscany from the pope in 1569.
The grand dukes governed a regional state with a court, administration and collections that formed the basis of the Uffizi. Catherine and Marie de’ Medici became queens of France. When Gian Gastone died childless in 1737, Tuscany passed to Francis Stephen of Lorraine; his sister Anna Maria Luisa bequeathed the family collections to Florence.
Lorenzo de’ Medici“the Magnificent”De facto ruler of Florence · Patron of the arts1449 – 1492
Leo XPope1475 – 1521
Clement VIIPope1478 – 1534
Leo XI · ESPope1535 – 1605Alessandro de’ Medici · ESDuke1510 – 1537
Cosimo I de’ Medici · ESGrand Duke1519 – 1574Francesco I de’ Medici · ESGrand Duke1541 – 1587Ferdinando I de’ Medici · ESGrand Duke1549 – 1609Cosimo III of Tuscany · ESGrand Duke1642 – 1723Gian Gastone of Tuscany · ESGrand Duke1671 – 1737Lorenzo de’ Medici“the Magnificent”De facto ruler of Florence · Patron of the arts1449 – 1492Giuliano di Piero de’ Medici · ESNoble1453 – 1478Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici · ESPolitician / Patron1463 – 1503Giovanni il Popolano · ESNoble / Condottiere1467 – 1498Lucrezia de’ Medici · ESNoble1470 – 1553Piero de’ Medici“the Unfortunate”Lord1472 – 1503Leo XPope1475 – 1521Clement VIIPope1478 – 1534Giuliano de’ MediciDuke / Patron1479 – 1516Lorenzo II de’ MediciDuke / Lord1492 – 1519
Giovanni de’ Medici“of the Black Bands”Condottiere1498 – 1526Alessandro de’ Medici · ESDuke1510 – 1537Ippolito de’ Medici · ESCardinal / Ruler1511 – 1535
Catherine de’ MediciQueen consort and Regent of France1519 – 1589Cosimo I de’ Medici · ESGrand Duke1519 – 1574Leo XI · ESPope1535 – 1605Francesco I de’ Medici · ESGrand Duke1541 – 1587Ferdinando I de’ Medici · ESGrand Duke1549 – 1609Eleonora de’ Medici · ESConsort1567 – 1611
Marie de’ Medici · ESConsort / Regent1575 – 1642Cosimo II of Tuscany · ESGrand Duke1590 – 1621Claudia de’ Medici · ESRegent1604 – 1648Ferdinando II of Tuscany · ESGrand Duke1610 – 1670Cosimo III of Tuscany · ESGrand Duke1642 – 1723Anna Maria Luisa de’ Medici · ESElectress consort / Patron1667 – 1743Gian Gastone of Tuscany · ESGrand Duke1671 – 1737Ottaviano de’ Medici · ESNobleIncludes nominal titles, regencies and disputes when recorded. Annual intervals do not establish continuous or exclusive control.
| Person | Territory and title | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cosimo de’ Medici | Ruler · Florence · ES | 1434–1464 | Effective rule |
| Piero di Cosimo de’ Medici · ES | Ruler · Florence · ES | 1464–1469 | Effective rule |
| Lorenzo de’ Medici | Ruler · Florence · ES | 1469–1492 | Effective rule |
| Piero de’ Medici | Ruler · Florence · ES | 1492–1494 | Effective rule |
| Giuliano de’ Medici | Ruler · Florence · ES | 1512–1516 | Effective rule |
| Leo X | Pope · Papal States · ES | 1513–1521 | Effective rule |
| Lorenzo II de’ Medici | Ruler · Florence · ES | 1516–1519 | Effective rule |
| Lorenzo II de’ Medici | Duke · Urbino · ES | 1516–1519 | Effective rule |
| Clement VII | Pope · Papal States · ES | 1523–1534 | Effective rule |
| Alessandro de’ Medici · ES | Duke · Florence · ES | 1532–1537 | Effective rule |
| Cosimo I de’ Medici · ES | Duke · Florence · ES | 1537–1569 | Effective rule |
| Catherine de’ Medici | Regent · France · ES | 1560–1563 | Effective rule |
| Cosimo I de’ Medici · ES | Grand duke · Tuscany · ES | 1569–1574 | Effective rule |
| Francesco I de’ Medici · ES | Grand duke · Tuscany · ES | 1574–1587 | Effective rule |
| Ferdinando I de’ Medici · ES | Grand duke · Tuscany · ES | 1587–1609 | Effective rule |
| Leo XI · ES | Pope · Papal States · ES | 1605–1605 | Effective rule |
| Cosimo II of Tuscany · ES | Grand duke · Tuscany · ES | 1609–1621 | Effective rule |
| Ferdinando II of Tuscany · ES | Grand duke · Tuscany · ES | 1621–1670 | Effective rule |
| Claudia de’ Medici · ES | Regent · Tyrol · ES | 1632–1646 | RegencyGuardianship regency during her son Ferdinand Charles’s minority; he retained the title. |
| Cosimo III of Tuscany · ES | Grand duke · Tuscany · ES | 1670–1723 | Effective rule |
| Gian Gastone of Tuscany · ES | Grand duke · Tuscany · ES | 1723–1737 | Effective rule |
General references do not by themselves verify every relationship or date. Bibliographic titles retain their original language.
Sources and methodology