Summary of Christopher Hibbert's The House Of Medici

By IRB Media

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#1 Florence in 1433 was a city of squares and towers, of busy, narrow, and twisting streets, of fortress-like palaces with massive stone walls and overhanging balconies, of old churches with geometrical patterns on their façades, and of abbeys and convents.

#2 The city was very congested around the stone bridge, the Ponte Vecchio, which spanned the Arno at its narrowest point. The area around the Orsanmichele, the communal granary, was the bankers' district in summer.

#3 The Florentine people were known for their frugality, but they had become more extravagant in recent years. The stone houses of the well-to-do still presented a severe, even forbidding appearance to the street, but behind the glazed and curtained windows, the rooms were often carpeted, painted, and hung with tapestries.

#4 The wives of Florentine merchants were famous for their lavish clothes, their elegance, and their pale skin. If their hair was too dark, they dyed it or wore a wig of white or yellow silk. They were not allowed to wear buttons or ermine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Jun 13, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822526228

IRB Media

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Insights on Christopher Hibbert's The House Of Medici

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

Florence in 1433 was a city of squares and towers, of busy, narrow, and twisting streets, of fortress-like palaces with massive stone walls and overhanging balconies, of old churches with geometrical patterns on their façades, and of abbeys and convents.

#2

The city was very congested around the stone bridge, the Ponte Vecchio, which spanned the Arno at its narrowest point. The area around the Orsanmichele, the communal granary, was the bankers' district in summer.

#3

The Florentine people were known for their frugality, but they had become more extravagant in recent years. The stone houses of the well-to-do still presented a severe, even forbidding appearance to the street, but behind the glazed and curtained windows, the rooms were often carpeted, painted, and hung with tapestries.

#4

The wives of Florentine merchants were famous for their lavish clothes, their elegance, and their pale skin. If their hair was too dark, they dyed it or wore a wig of white or yellow silk. They were not allowed to wear buttons or ermine.

#5

The slave was treated as one of the family, and could be sure of eating well. She was not allowed to have any rights, but she was still considered a person of importance. The most sumptuous meals were served just before dusk in the homes of well-to-do merchants.

#6

The city of Florence was ruled by a group of families that came from these households. Theoretically, every member of the city’s several guilds had a say in its government, but this was not always the case in practice.

#7

The government was formed in this way: the names of all those members of the guilds aged thirty or over who were eligible for election to office were placed in eight leather bags known as borse. Every two months, the bags were taken from the sacristy of the church of Santa Croce and drawn at random.

#8

The Florentine Republic was a trade-based government, and the merchant class was extremely important in it. The Florentines were very proud of their government, but in practice it was not democratic at all. Only the richest families were able to participate in the government.

#9

The merchant class was not only rich, but also generous. They had acquired riches, and they were not chary of spending them. They must have a fine palazzo and a commodious family loggia, a pleasant country villa, and a private chapel.

#10

The Medici were a family of doctors and apothecaries who had moved into Florence from the Mugello. They had been leading lives of quiet respectability in Florence, prospering as the city prospered, but they had suffered a decline.

#11

Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici, the father of