Link to Medici Godfathers of renaissance: 1- The birth of a dinasty documentary
Documentary Description
Europe, 1400: A continent torn apart by war and plague is
dominated by the authority of the Catholic Church.
In the towns and cities live merchants and entrepreneurs who sense that
their world is changing. With increasing trade and wealth an appetite
for enlightenment develops.
No longer neglected
in the shadows of the Church, classical philosophy, poetry, art and
sculpture begin to reach a new audience. This is especially true in
cosmopolitan cities like Florence, home of Cosimo de'Medici.
Cradle of the Renaissance
Florence in the year 1400 is unlike any other city in Europe. A major
trading centre at the heart of Tuscany, it is a republic where powerful
families compete for political control. From a side-street off the main
piazza, Cosimo's father, Giovanni de'Medici, manages the up-and-coming
Medici bank.
In one shrewd move,
Medici father and son gamble on a Papal election and win. The reward
for their loyalty is the entire Papal bank account. On the back of this
contract, the Medici bank expands across Europe, elevating the family
to the Florentine elite.
The Dome
Florence's leading families are obsessed by a humiliating failure. For
more than a century, an enormous cathedral has loomed over the city. It
has no roof or dome and is open to the elements. The original planners
built a central space too vast to cover. Whoever could give the city
its dome would win everlasting fame.
One man believed
he knew how to build that dome. Filippo Brunelleschi, goldsmith and
engineer, had studied the building techniques and materials of ancient
Rome, and believed he could rewrite the rules of modern architecture.
Now, with the aid of an egg, he convinced the cathedral authorities to
let him loose on the biggest show in town.
The Showdown
As Medici wealth increases, so does the fury of their rivals. As soon
as Giovanni dies, the Albizzi family launches a feud against his Medici
heirs. Florence is not big enough for both families, and on September
7,1433, Cosimo de'Medici is arrested and accused of treason.
Cosimo bribes his way out of jail, but the Medici are banished and the
Albizzi triumph. Now, no friend of Cosimo is safe. Even Brunelleschi is
thrown into jail, and work on the dome is halted.
Life
without the Medici isn't easy. Business in Florence dries up, and
within a year the tables turn on the Albizzi. With the intervention of
the Pope, Cosimo secures his return to Florence, and assumes his
position as unofficial leader of the city. Revenge is sweet.
Triumph?
With a taste for art and an eye for talent, Cosimo now commissions the
finest craftsmen of his age. From Donatello and Lippi to Michelozzo and
Gozzoli, magnificent work is produced in the name of the Godfather. By
1436, the dome is at last complete, and Cosimo takes the credit. He
invites his friend, the Pope, to perform the holy consecration. In
1439, Cosimo seizes the chance to bring the cultures of east and west
together at the magnificent Council of Florence.
It is the
height of his success, and yet Cosimo fears for the future of his
dynasty. His favored son and grandson die before him. “I know the
humors of my city, before 50 years have passed we shall be expelled,
but my buildings will remain.”
On his death in 1464 Cosimo is honored with the title Pater Patriae - Father of the Fatherland - but who will lead the Medici,
and Florence? Who will fill the shoes of the Godfather of the Renaissance?
