| Description: | The course deals with the full story of this extraordinary family, whose fortunes are traced over three hundred years (from the late 14th century up to the early 18th century), from the rise of the bank under Cosimo the Elder to the final collapse of the house of Medici with the death of the last Medici in 1737. Since the power of the Medici family enabled its members to rule Florence, control the papacy, act as the "needle of the Italian compass," and sometimes influence the policies of an entire continent, the course will provide students with an understanding of the history, politics and civic life of this period. The Medici were statesmen, scholars, patrons of art, collectors, entrepreneurs and impresarios. Some of them were poets, others were popes. The course introduces students to philosophy and artistic movements by discussing the most important achievements and the people who worked for the Medici, like Michelangelo, Poliziano, Donatello, Botticelli, and several musicians who worked at the Medici court in the 16th and 17th centuries. Visits to churches, museums, palaces and galleries, which are a significant part of the study of the Medici family, will supplement classes. |