Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici, who lived from 27 September 1389 to 1 August 1464, was an Italian banker and politician who became the de facto ruler of Florence during the early Italian Renaissance and was the first of his family to establish the Medici as its effective leaders for generations to come. His power rested on his wealth as head of the Medici Bank and on intermarriage with other rich and powerful Florentine families, yet he was never an absolute ruler, and Florence's legislative councils resisted his proposals throughout his political career and even sent him into exile from 1433 to 1434 before recalling him the following year. As a patron of the arts, learning and architecture, Cosimo is estimated to have spent over 600,000 gold florins, a sum equivalent to hundreds of millions of dollars in modern terms, on cultural and artistic projects across Florence, commissions that included Donatello's bronze David, the first freestanding nude male sculpture cast since antiquity. Through this sustained patronage of architects, sculptors and scholars, Cosimo helped set Florence on course to become the leading center of the early Renaissance, a position his descendants would extend for generations.
Facts
RoleItalian banker and politician; de facto ruler of Florence during the Renaissance and founder of Medici family rule 1 Death PlaceCareggi (near Florence) 1 Role
Role (category) FAQs
Why was Cosimo de' Medici given the title Pater Patriae?
Florence's Signoria awarded him the honorific after his death and had it carved on his tomb in the Church of San Lorenzo.
After Cosimo de' Medici died in 1464, the Signoria of Florence awarded him the posthumous title Pater Patriae, meaning Father of the Fatherland, an honor previously given only to Cicero, and had it carved upon his tomb in the Church of San Lorenzo.
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In Era
Source Wikipedia: Cosimo de' Medici
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Originated In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject originated.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Cosimo de' Medici
WikipediaCosimo: lead sentence
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 - 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who became the de facto ruler of Florence during the Italian Renaissance, and was the first to establish the Medici family as its effective leaders for generations.
Cosimo: lead sentence (role)
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 - 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who became the de facto ruler of Florence during the Italian Renaissance, and was the first to establish the Medici family as its effective leaders for generations.
Cosimo: Early life and family business section
Cosimo de' Medici was born in Florence, to Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici and Piccarda Bueri, on 27 September 1389.
Cosimo: Death section
On his death in 1464 at Careggi, Cosimo was succeeded by his son Piero, father of Lorenzo the Magnificent.
Cosimo: Death section, posthumous honorific
After Cosimo's death, the Signoria awarded him the title Pater Patriae, "Father of the Fatherland", an honour once awarded to Cicero, and had it carved upon his tomb in the Church of San Lorenzo.
Cosimo: Early life and family business section (patronymic form of his name)
At the time, it was customary to indicate the name of one's father in one's name for the purpose of distinguishing the identities of two like-named individuals; thus, Giovanni was the son of Bicci, and Cosimo's name was properly rendered Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici.
Cosimo de' Medici: Gender
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 - 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who became the de facto ruler of Florence during the Italian Renaissance, and was the first to establish the Medici family as its effective leaders for generations.
In Era: The Post-Classical and Medieval Period, lead paragraph, lifespan
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 - 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who became the de facto ruler of Florence during the Italian Renaissance, and was the first to establish the Medici family as its effective leaders for generations.
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