Latest / The Story of Italy: Rome, Renaissance, and the Birth of Modern Europe — Fexingo History
The Medici Bank: How Money Funded the Renaissance
Before Leonardo painted or Michelangelo carved, there was a ledger. Episode 224 traces the rise of the Medici family, not just as patrons of art, but as the architects of modern finance. We explore how Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo the Magnificent used double-entry bookkeeping and international banking networks to amass unprecedented power in Florence. This episode moves beyond the famous portraits to examine the gritty mechanics of money—how they invented the letter of credit, navigated the perilous politics of excommunication, and turned wealth into political influence…
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