187 - The balls are back in town - the Medici return (1503 - 1513)

187 - The balls are back in town - the Medici return (1503 - 1513)

Among the many casualties of the battle of Garigliano was Piero de Medici, son of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Piero, previously exiled from Florence for his poor leadership during the invasion of Charles VIII in 1494, drowned while trying to escape the battle. His body was found and buried at Montecassino Abbey, under the protection of his brother, Cardinal Giovanni de Medici.


Florence in Transition


After the fall of Girolamo Savonarola, Florence entered a period of unstable governance:



  • Two major factions emerged: the Ottimati (traditional elite) and the Popolari (new rich).


  • Despite nominal control by the Popolari, the Ottimati successfully blocked key reforms, such as the introduction of a property tax.


  • Financially weakened by war, Florence made a bold move in 1502 by electing Piero Soderini as Gonfaloniere for life.


  • Soderini, though from an elite family, implemented popular reforms, including capping wedding dowries and improving access to credit.




Rise of Cardinal Giovanni


The Medici fortunes began to shift with Cardinal Giovanni de Medici:



  • Tonsured at the age of 8, and made a cardinal at 13 through the diplomatic work of Lorenzo the Magnificent.


  • Giovanni loved classical literature, music, and was known for his love of food.


  • After a brief exile, he returned to Rome, took residence at Palazzo Madama, and regained political influence under Pope Julius II (Giuliano della Rovere).




The Return to Florence


Following the War of the League of Cambrai, opportunity struck:



  • In 1512, Giovanni leveraged papal and Spanish military support to pressure Florence.


  • After the brutal Sack of Prato, panic erupted in Florence, and cries of "The Balls!" (a reference to the Medici emblem) filled the air.


  • On September 1st, 1512, after 18 years of exile, the Medici triumphantly returned.


Key figures included:



  • Cardinal Giovanni (future Pope Leo X)


  • Giuliano de Medici


  • Giulio de Medici (future Pope Clement VII)


  • Lorenzo de Medici (grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent)




Pope Leo X


In 1513, Cardinal Giovanni became Pope Leo X at the age of 37:



  • Florentines celebrated wildly, with fireworks, bonfires, and public feasting.


  • Lorenzo was positioned to govern Florence under Medici influence, assisted by Cardinal Giulio.


  • Giuliano de Medici...

Jaksot(292)

110 – Cola fizzes and goes flat (1347 – 1354)

110 – Cola fizzes and goes flat (1347 – 1354)

After his great rise to power in Rome, we see Cola di Rienzo crash and burn... literally

17 Helmi 202124min

109 – Popeless Rome and the rise of Cola (not the drink)

109 – Popeless Rome and the rise of Cola (not the drink)

We take a look at what was happening in Rome while the popes were off in Avignon. We quickly see how Clement V dealt with the movement of Fra Dolcino (spoiler: violently) and then how John XXII and his successor, Gregory XII did. We then introduce Clement VI just in time for him to receive a delegation from Rome headed by a charistmatic, handsome young notary called Cola di Rienzo who, with the support of papal authority, got back to Rome and managed to put himself in the driver's seat quite quickly, even overcoming the resistance of the Roman noble families... for now.

10 Helmi 202126min

Fill-in episode – 2021 Italian government crisis

Fill-in episode – 2021 Italian government crisis

While waiting to get back on track with the regular podcast (back soon), we take the opportunity to update you on history in the making: the current mid-pandemic government crisis

7 Helmi 202114min

108 – Italians against stairs

108 – Italians against stairs

Mastino II Della Scala gets too big for his own good and Venice, Florence and Milan move in to bring him down a rung or two

19 Tammi 202122min

107 – An unexpected king

107 – An unexpected king

While everyone (the Pope, the king of France, Milan, Verona, Venice, Florence etc.) is manoeuvring in northern Italy along comes an unexpected king, John of Luxembourg, king of Bohemia. Will he be able to unite the northern cities?

12 Tammi 202119min

106 – An imperial tour of Italy (1327-1329)

106 – An imperial tour of Italy (1327-1329)

We follow the descent into Italy of Holy Roman Emperor Luis IV to visit with the Visconti in Milan, the Dalla Scala in Verona, the Este of Ferrara, the Castracani in Lucca and the Gonzaga in Mantua. At the same time we see the struggle between emperor and pope and get a reminder fo the situation in Naples and Sicily.

5 Tammi 202122min

105 – The battle of the Bucket (1325)

105 – The battle of the Bucket (1325)

We take a look at the 1325 battle of Zappolino between Modena and her Ghibelline allies and Bologna and her Guelph ones and how, after one of the largest and bloodiest battles of the Iyaian middle ages, the Modenese cam home with a bucket (and heaps of cash).

23 Joulu 202026min

104 – The last Sardinian Judicate (1323-1326)

104 – The last Sardinian Judicate (1323-1326)

After a quick recap of what was going on around Italy in 1323, we get to the Aragonese invasion of Sardinia that put a definitive end to the presence of the Republic of Pisa on the island leaving the Judicate of Arborea as the last of the old four Judicates surrounded by the new "Kingdom of Sardinia"

15 Joulu 202022min

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