The Medici

Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance

By: Paul Strathern

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

A dazzling history of the modest family that rose to become one of the most powerful in Europe, The Medici is a remarkably modern story of power, money, and ambition.

Against the background of an age that saw the rebirth of ancient and classical learning, Paul Strathern explores the intensely dramatic rise and fall of the Medici family in Florence as well as the Italian Renaissance, which they did so much to sponsor and encourage. Interwoven into the narrative are the lives of many of the great Renaissance artists with whom the Medici had dealings, including Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello as well as scientists like Galileo and Pico della Mirandola.

In his enthralling study, Strathern also follows the fortunes of those members of the Medici family who achieved success away from Florence, including the two Medici popes and Catherine de' Medici, who became queen of France and played a major role in that country through three turbulent reigns.

©2016 Paul Strathern (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A fantastically comprehensive history covering the breadth of the great learning, art, politics, and religion of the period." ( Kirkus)

Very detailed, but worth it overall

This is a really interesting look at the Medici and that time in "Italian" history; it has an overly detailed start, but got better as it went along. It did take me a long time to finish, though. Time well spent, though, and gave me some good understanding about Italian history before my trip there later this year.

Excellent!

This book covers about three hundred years of the Medici family, but in the process, you learn a lot about Italy, Europe, and human nature. You also see how good and bad dynastic dictatorships can be as well as how democracy will fail without the full commitment of the population. There are many other lessons to be learned from this book. A population defended by mercenaries is never safe. A population not willing to give their lives to defend their freedoms will be subjugated. There are a lot of lessons about life and government in this book.

Wonderfully constructed & read

I wish Derek Perkins narrated all my audio books. His voice and delivery are fabulous.
This comprehensive telling of the Medici dynasty includes information on all the characters important to the various epochs as well.

A Panorama of Tuscan History

For anyone interested in visiting Tuscany, this is a must. Steady and comfortably paced narration.

Well done!

Really enjoyed the audio book. The layout and timeframes used made it enjoyable. To he’d on quite a few topics without going into the weeds.