Medici family

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Noble family that ruled the Italian city-state of Florence from the 15th to the 18th centuries. The Medici arrived in Florence in the 13th century and made their fortune in banking. The first family member to control the city, from 1434 to 1464, was Cosimo de' Medici (‘the Elder’); he and his grandson Lorenzo (‘the Magnificent’), who ruled from 1469 to 1492, made Florence the foremost city-state in Renaissance Italy, and were famed as patrons of the arts and humanist thought. Four Medici were elected pope, and others married into the royal families of Europe.

After a period of exile (1494–1512), the Medici returned to power and ruled first as dukes and later as grand dukes of Tuscany until 1737, when the line of succession died out. Other prominent family members included the 16th-century popes Leo X and Clement VII, and the French queens Catherine de' Medici and Marie de' Medici.

The number of stripes changed frequently until around 1800. Red, white, and blue became the colours of liberty and an inspiration for other revolutionary flags around the world. Effective date: 19 February 1937. >>