The Medici by Paul Strathern

6 out of 10

A powerful Florentine family in a fragmented Italy grew in wealth and power, played a pivotal role in sparking the Rinascimento, and pushed it into other parts of Europe.  Florence went through republican phases and experimented with broader democratic principles, but folks in the Medici clan would regularly hold ruling titles.  They were dukes, lords, queens, cardinals, and popes.  They were bankers, financiers, and patrons.  Many iconic Renaissance artists were funded by the family.  The Medici married into royal families around Europe.  Renaissance beauty and humanist thinking led to prosperity.  Though it is important to remember that disease and brutal warfare were still common features of life.