'Medici, Volume 2' Summary

The second volume of G. F. Young's Medici trilogy begins in 1537, with the death of Duke Alessandro de' Medici. The family's power and influence is at its peak, but it is also facing challenges from within and without. Catherine de' Medici, the last of the elder branch, is now Queen of France, and she is determined to use her influence to advance the Medici cause. However, her efforts are often thwarted by her rivals, both in France and in Florence.Meanwhile, the younger branch of the family is rising in prominence. Cosimo I de' Medici, the son of Giovanni delle Bande Nere, is a skilled general and politician. He seizes power in Florence in 1537 and establishes a new dynasty that will rule for over two centuries. Cosimo is a great patron of the arts and sciences, and he transforms Florence into one of the leading cultural centers of Europe. However, his reign is also marked by violence and repression.His son, Francesco I de' Medici, continues his father's policies of patronage and repression. He is a cruel and paranoid ruler, and he is responsible for the deaths of many of his rivals. Francesco's son, Ferdinando I de' Medici, is a more enlightened ruler, but he is also faced with challenges from both within and without. The Medici family's power and influence begins to decline in the 17th century, and it eventually becomes extinct in 1743. The family's legacy, however, lives on in the art and architecture that they commissioned, and in the cultural and political institutions that they helped to shape.