The Medici Podcast

Pope Clement VII sells his soul to Emperor Charles V to get back Florence. Part of the bargain includes Clement essentially signing off on the death warrant of the Republic of Florence.

Lorenzo the Magnificent's granddaughter Clarice triggers a coup in Florence just by berating the man in charge. Meanwhile Pope Clement is driven to hide in a derelict palace in the mountains and receives an unwelcome visitor all the way from England. The theme music is "La Disperata", composed by Vincenzo Ruffo (ca. 1510-1587) and performed by Jon Sayles. Check out pictures, bibliogr...

Pope Clement tries once more to loosen Emperor Charles V's grip on Italy, another revolution in Florence is narrowly avoided through one man's incompetence, and the stage is set for one of modern history's most notorious war-time atrocities.

Clement VII brings back the artistic glories of Renaissance Rome, but disaster for himself, his family, and for Rome looms overhead.  The theme music is "La Disperata", composed by Vincenzo Ruffo (ca. 1510-1587) and performed by Jon Sayles. Check out pictures, bibliographies, and more at http://www.medicipodcast.com. Support us at  Patreon .

After Leo X's sudden death, the Medici are briefly out of power in the papacy. In the meantime, Emperor Charles V changes the landscape of European politics by getting elected as Holy Roman Emperor, and the fate of the Medici family is put in the hands of an orphaned, illegitimate son. Check out images, maps, genealogies, and more at medicipodcast.com. Support me on Patreon

While Pope Leo works with the artist Raphael toward the preservation of Roman antiquities and tries to steer Italy between the deadly rocks of France, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire, a little problem crops up to demand his attention. And that little problem had a name: Martin Luther.  The theme music is "La Disperata", composed by Vincenzo Ruffo (ca. 1510-1587) and performed by...

A new Medici is born amidst tragedy, Pope Leo struggles with the threats posed by France, Spain, and the Holy Roman and Ottoman empires and a deadly conspiracy close to home, and an obscure monk and university lecturer in Germany starts to inspire a bit of controversy. 

Pope Leo X goes through his own "annus mirabilis." Meanwhile the next generation of Medici men come into their own: the wannabe aristocrat, Lorenzo "the Younger", and the juvenile delinquent turned freelance mercenary, Giovanni of the Black Bands.

We look at Pope Leo X's reign, from how he got an edition of a pivotal Jewish text dedicated to him to the elaborate practical joke he engineered involving his pet elephant and an old-fashioned Roman triumph. But Leo also has to face the fact that the fate of Europe, especially Italy, now lays in the hands of three young, ambitious, and powerful monarchs.

The unlikely partnership between the bookish, affable Giovanni de' Medici and the rough-and-tumble Pope Julius II will finally bring the Medici back to power and set the stage for Giovanni's turn as Pope Leo X, which would prove to be one of the most consequential papal reigns in history for reasons no one could have predicted. Check out the website for extra materials and one-time donations: medi...

The Catholic Church was once the most important, omnipresent institution in Europe. Before we meet the Medici Popes, we'll delve into what exactly the Church did for the people, from providing early nursing homes to giving people one of the few shots at social mobility, and how powerful the Popes really were. Check out the website for extra materials and one-time donations: medicipodcast.com Suppo...

Still in exile, Piero de' Medici throws himself on the mercy of the new king of France and Cesare Borgia. But will they prove to be reliable friends? Check out the website for extra materials and one-time donations: medicipodcast.com Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/medicipodcast

This time, we check in on the sons of Pierfrancesco de' Medici, the brothers Popolano, Lorenzo and Giovanni. While Lorenzo tried to play a small, non-partisan role in Florence's new government, Giovanni fell in love with one of the most famous and daring women of the Renaissance. Check out the website for extra materials and one-time donations: medicipodcast.com Support me on Patreon: https://www....

We conclude Savonarola's story by looking at why one of his most fervent followers decided to try to shut up the growing criticism of Savonarola by resorting to an obsolete medieval ritual and how that decision backfired catastrophically.  Check out the website for extra materials and one-time donations: medicipodcast.com Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/medicipodcast

Savonarola may be enjoying the peak of his influence over Florence, but he's made a relentles enemy who just so happens to be a pope and, worse, a Borgia. Meanwhile, Piero and his supporters spin plots for a Medici restoration. Check out the website for extra materials and one-time donations: medicipodcast.com  Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/medicipodcast

Charles VIII marches on Naples not knowing a brand-new plague is waiting for him, the Medici adapt to the existence of the new republic in different ways, and Savonarola and his allies in government tighten their grip over Florence, even while Rodrigo Borgia closes in on Florence's popular preacher.  Check out the website for extra materials and one-time donations: medicipodcast.com Support m...

Piero de' Medici is gone, and a new rising star is a hotshot preacher named Girolamo Savonarola. Once an itinerant preacher and lecturer, Savonarola now finds himself hobnobbing with King Charles VIII of France and even having a say in Florence's newly rebuilt, Medici-free republic. 

Piero doesn't get to enjoy being the de facto lord of Florence for long before he has to deal with an impending French invasion of Italy. He decides to imitate his father's boldest move, which would surely work...won't it?

The fourth Medici to come to power as "unofficial lord" of Florence is Lorenzo the Magnificent's son, Piero. Although a strapping, handsome, and popular young man, forces within the regime are already working against him. But the real threat is starting to stir many miles outside of Florence...

An update explaining the brief hiatus and what the planned schedule for the show will be going forward. 

We step back from the Medici to look at Europe as a whole circa 1492. The balance of power is shifting and that means, for Medici and Italy as a whole, the flood is coming. 

The golden age of the Medici's unofficial lordship over Florence is drawing to an end with Lorenzo's death. Here we look back over Lorenzo's legacy as the patron, the politician, and even the embezzler and the human being. Also, what exactly was Lorenzo's contribution to the course of not only Florentine but European history as a whole? 

Lorenzo is at the height of his power and security. However, just behind the scenes, the family bank that caused the Medici to come into power in the first place is slowly but steadily falling apart, thanks to the Ottomans, a squabble between English royals, and, most of all, the ugly realities of politics. 

The Lorenzo we see from his volumnious letters is a man who had a short temper and bouts of depression, but was also capable of tremendous compassion and generosity. Unfortunately, his relationships with his own wife and sons were perhaps less than ideal.

To try to stop a war Florence is badly losing and take some steam out of the Pope's vendetta against him, Lorenzo does something few politicians had done before or since: put himself directly in enemy territory.