The Medici

Power, Money, and Ambition in the Italian Renaissance

By: Paul Strathern

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 16 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

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)

all around excellent

excellent narration, excellent story. I loved every second of this book and wanted more when it ended. it was like being back in my college humanities class, only better!

Best Medici book I have ever heard or read.

This is an excellent book. The descriptions and background stories make this book the best Medici and renaissance book I have encountered.
The intertwining stories of artists , popes, political figures and social climates bring so many things together that this is a very satisfying read. Highly recommend!

Excellent. Just Excellent.

A comprehensive, beautiful, compelling tale about one of the more interesting families in European history.

Fascinating

This was a captivating read. It is thorough in telling the history of the Medici.

Fantastic!!!

Content and delivery was fantastic. Sure he didn't go into boring nuance, but he presented the important facts in the most interesting and enlightening manner possible. And he connected Medici events with with world events at the time.

A fascinating family history

A family history with fascinating ups and downs and interconnections to wealth from textiles to banking, to political power, the papacy, and royalty. They were contributors to the arts and expressions of humanism, and sometimes debauchery. They were connected to the Italian Renaissance and other intriguing moments in history and other famous people. "Hurry slowly" through this, lots to learn!

Well written and good performance

The story after Lorenzo the magnificent was material I did not know. It pulled a lot together for me. I thought it was a great listen.

Riveting

This is one of the most engaging historical books I've read. It is written with superb narrative and is rich in personal detail. Giovanni, Cosimo, and Lorenzo Medici come to life where you feel like you understand them on a deep level. Da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo, and other prominent Renaissance figures become more human than legend. These gifted, world-shaping figures are all just people. And yet, even with all the wealth and power of the past two centuries, the Windsors (Saxe-Coburg Gotha) have done nothing compared to the achievements of the humble, prescient, and visionary Cosimo Medici.

Historical accuracy

The narrator was especially clear and very good at conveying the facts in an interesting manner.

Excellent history!!

I became obsessed with listening to this excellent read about the Medici! If you’ve watched the Medici tv series, you can easily put faces with names and it makes the listen more real! I will listen again! It gives an excellent family lineage outline as well as that of artists and scientists that helped shape the world!