Medicean

Medicean
   The Medici family ruled Florence from the fifteenth to the eighteenth centuries. The patriarch was Giovanni de' Medici (?-1429), a banker, whose son Cosimo (the Elder, 1389-1464) was famous as a patron of the arts and learning. His grandson Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449-1492) was one of the outstanding figures of the Renaissance. From Lorenzo (1395-1440), brother of Cosimo the Elder, came the line of Grand Dukes of Tuscany, the first being great-grandson Cosimo (1519-1574), who was regarded by many as the original of Machiavelli's The Prince. The Medici family gave three popes to the church: Leo, in whose pontificate the Reformation began; Clement VII, who refused Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon; and Leo XI, who was pope for only a few months in 1605.
   Medicean has come to mean pertaining to the Medicis, whether it concerns their banking affairs, their martial life, their religious ascendencies, their fostering of the arts, or whatever else they might have been involved in.

Dictionary of eponyms. . 2013.

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  • Medicean — Med i*ce an, prop. a. Of or relating to the Medici, a noted Italian family; as, the Medicean Venus. [1913 Webster] {Medicean planets} (Astron.), a name given by Galileo to the satellites of Jupiter. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Medicean planets — Medicean Med i*ce an, prop. a. Of or relating to the Medici, a noted Italian family; as, the Medicean Venus. [1913 Webster] {Medicean planets} (Astron.), a name given by Galileo to the satellites of Jupiter. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Medicean Chant —    Refers to the Roman Gradual and Antiphonal published by the Medicean press in Rome in 1614 under the direction of Felice Anerio (c. 1560–1614) and Franceso Soriano (c. 1548– 1621) that revised texts and melodies of older chant books in the… …   Historical dictionary of sacred music

  • Medicean — See Medici. * * * …   Universalium

  • Medicean — adj. of or pertaining to the Medicis (Italian family during the Renaissance period, patrons of famous artists) …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Medicean — [ˌmɛdɪ tʃi:ən, si:ən, mɛ di:tʃɪən] adjective relating to the Medici, a powerful Italian family who effectively ruled Florence in the 15th century …   English new terms dictionary

  • medicean — med·i·ce·an …   English syllables

  • medicean — adj. of the Medici family, rulers of Florence in the 15th c. Etymology: mod.L Mediceus f. It. Medici …   Useful english dictionary

  • Medicean-Laurentian Library — ▪ library, Florence, Italy Italian  Biblioteca Mediceo laurenziana,         collection of books and manuscripts gathered during the 15th century in Florence by Cosimo the Elder (Medici, Cosimo de ) and Lorenzo the Magnificent (Medici, Lorenzo de… …   Universalium

  • Medici — Medicean /med i see euhn, chee euhn/, adj. /med i chee/; It. /me dee chee/, n. 1. Catherine de . See Catherine de Médicis. 2. Cosmo or Cosimo de /kawz maw/ or /kaw zee maw de/, ( the Elder ), 1389 1464, Italian banker, statesman, and patron of… …   Universalium

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