![]() ![]() The Medici's had long been involved in banking but by the 15th century (1400's) the Medici bank had became the largest bank in Europe. Some of the famous artists who were supported by the Medici included, Piero, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, and Michaelangelo Buonarotti. However, it was his grandfather, Cosimo who began this patronage, spending his vast fortune on both the arts and the government in Florence. Lorenzo Medici brought fame, prestige and power to the republic of Florence through his immense patronage of the arts. Readers get a brief history of the Medici's but it helps to understand more about this famous family. Pope Leo made her Duchess of Urbino, resulting in her nickname, "la duchessina". ![]() Catherine's parents died just weeks after her birth and she was brought to Rome under the orders of Pope Leo who was her uncle. ![]() The opening chapter provides young readers with the background information about Catherine's life before the age of four, which is when Meyer picks up the story. This wonderfully written historical novel tells the story of Catherine de' Medici, the last surviving member of the Medici family directly descended from Lorenzo Il Magnifico Medici, who was Catherine's great-grandfather. ![]()
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