Did you know that one obscure sheep-herding and wool-making family in the Italian region of Tuscany went from humble beginnings to becoming one of the richest and most influential families of all time?

Meet the Medici family, who, in some ways, can be considered to be the godfathers of the Renaissance. They patronized Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Sandro Botticelli, among many other famous artists. They helped to recover many famous ancient Roman and Greek writings and built academies to encourage the spread of learning.

Inside Captivating History's House of Medici, you'll discover:

• The humble beginnings of a family that is estimated to have made over one hundred twenty billion dollars in today's currency
• Cosimo the Great, the true founder of the Medici dynasty, who built the city of Florence into one of the greatest cities on Earth
• Cosimo's son Lorenzo, called "the Magnificent" for his athletic abilities, knowledge, wisdom, and desire to improve not only the lives of his family but also those throughout Europe
• Lorenzo's Platonic Academy, where the greatest minds of the Renaissance gathered to discuss and debate the great questions of both the age and human existence
• The bloody attempt on Lorenzo's life and his swift revenge
• The growth of Florence into both a city of great culture and great pleasure
• Savonarola, the religious fanatic who terrified Lorenzo and who ruled a city by fear and was finally burned at the stake himself
• The Medici popes, Leo X and Clement VII
• The great Dome of Florence, which was built by the revolutionary thinker Brunelleschi
• Catherine de' Medici, the de facto ruler of France and mother of three kings

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