The Medici: Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance Audiobook (Free)

A dazzling background of the humble family members that rose to become one of the most powerful in European countries, The Medici is a remarkably modern tale of power, money, and ambition. Against the backdrop of an age that saw the rebirth of historic and traditional learning Paul Strathern explores the intensely dramatic rise and fall of the Medici family members in Florence, aswell as the Italian Renaissance that they did a lot to sponsor and encourage. Interwoven into the narrative will be the lives of many of the great Renaissance performers with whom the Medici experienced dealings, including Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Donatello, aswell as researchers like Galileo and Pico della Mirandola.

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