Cosimo I de' Medici
Cosimo was born in Florence on 12 June 1519, the son of the famous condottiere Ludovico de' Medici (known as Giovanni delle Bande Nere) and his wife Maria Salviati,[1] herself a granddaughter of Lorenzo the Magnificent.In 1537, Cosimo sent Bernardo Antonio de' Medici to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V to gain recognition for his position as head of the Florentine state.[dubious – discuss] Cosimo also was an active builder of military structures,[7] as a part of his attempt to save the Florentine state from the frequent passage of foreign armies.Examples include the new fortresses of Siena, Arezzo, Sansepolcro, the new walls of Pisa and Fivizzano and the strongholds of Portoferraio on the island of Elba and Terra del Sole.Despite his economic difficulties, Cosimo I was a lavish patron of the arts and also developed the Florentine navy, which eventually took part in the Battle of Lepanto, and which he entrusted to his new creation, the Knights of St.Originally intended as a means of consolidating his administrative control of the various committees, agencies, and guilds established in Florence's Republican past, it now houses one of the world's most important collections of art, much of it commissioned and/or owned by various members of the Medici family.As his more prominent ancestors had been, he was also an important patron of the arts, supporting, among others, Giorgio Vasari, Benvenuto Cellini, Pontormo, Bronzino, the architect Baldassarre Lanci, and the historians Scipione Ammirato and Benedetto Varchi.A large bronze equestrian statue of Cosimo I by Giambologna, erected in 1598,[10] still stands today in the Piazza della Signoria, the main square of Florence.
Cosimo de' MediciPortrait of Cosimo I de' MediciDuke of FlorenceAlessandroGrand Duke of TuscanyFrancesco IFlorenceRepublic of FlorenceGrand Duchy of TuscanyEleanor of ToledoCamilla MartelliBia de' MediciMaria de' MediciFrancesco I de' MediciIsabella, Duchess of BraccianoCardinal GiovanniLucrezia, Duchess of ModenaGarziaFerdinando I de' MediciPietroVirginia, Duchess of ModenaMediciGiovanni delle Bande NereMaria SalviatiCatholicismUffiziPitti PalaceBoboli GardenscondottiereLorenzo the MagnificentCaterina SforzaAlessandro de' MediciGiovanni il PopolanoGiovanni di Bicci de' MediciMedici BankCosimo di Giovanni de' Medicilineal descendantout-of-wedlockPontormoaccessionMugelloMedici familyliteratusBenedetto VarchiFranceBronzinoBernardo SalviatiPiero StrozziAlessandro VitelliMontemurloPiazza della SignoriaBargelloFilippo StrozziVirgilPope Pius VSala RegiaVatican PalaceBernardo Antonio de' MediciCharles VItalian WarsGian Gastone de' MediciGiovanni Battista NaldiniBattle of MarcianoMontalcinomalariaVilla di CastelloBenvenuto CellinimercenariesLorenzinoVeniceArezzoSansepolcroFivizzanoPortoferraioTerra del SoleBattle of LepantoKnights of St. StephenOrpheusNiccolò TribololabyrinthgrottoItalian Renaissance gardenGiorgio VasariBaldassarre LanciScipione AmmiratoGiambolognaalchemyPalazzo PittiDon Pedro Álvarez de ToledoviceroyNaplesJesuitAlfonso II d'EsteFrancescoIsabellaPaolo Giordano I OrsiniGiovanniBishop of PisaLucreziaDuke of FerraraModenaFerdinandoEleonora di Garzia di ToledoEleonora degli AlbizziVirginiaCesare d'EsteDuke of ModenaUffizi GalleryFortress Study GroupGrand dukes of TuscanyCosimo IFerdinando ICosimo IIFerdinando IICosimo IIIGian GastoneFrancesco StefanoLeopoldo IFerdinando IIILeopoldo IIFerdinando IVHouse of MediciCosimo "The Elder"Piero "The Gouty"Lorenzo "The Magnificent"Piero "The Brief"