The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall

The House of Medici picks up where Barbara Tuchman's Hibbert delves into the lives of the Medici family, whose legacy of increasing self-indulgence and sexual dalliance eventually led to its self-destruction. With twenty-four pages of black-and-white illustrations, this timeless saga is one of Quill's strongest-selling paperbacks.

What the book does offer is a fairly detailed description of the machinations of the Medici family - escpecially the accounts about Cossimo Sr. at the founding of the family and Cossimo II toward the end of the dynasty. The description of war and political strategies are noteworthy. The value of the book depends on what you are looking for. IF you want to know more about the art and culture angles, you are better advised to look elsewhere.


History comes alive   December 15, 2002
Randyll McDermott (Minneapolis, MN, USA)
44 out of 53 found this review helpful

Christopher Hibbert created a masterpiece with this work. It chronicles the fortunes of the Medici family from when its first leader, Cosimo comes to renown in Florence in 143 to when heirless Gian Gastone dies in 1737. The history is very interesting, it gives an insider's look into the complex world of Florence and Europe in the Renaissance. I learned many interesting things, particularly about the corruptrion in the Catholic Church at the time. My only qualm is that the author seems to lose interest with after Part 3 ends. The first 3 parts cover 100 years and last 260 pages and the last 140 years only take up 50 pages. Also of note are the notes that give information about notable villas and works of art that are mentioned. This would be extremely useful if one were to travel to Florence. Overall, an excellent read that will enrich your understanding of the Past.


Interesting text on the Medici family of Renaissance Italy   January 29, 2000
Robert Zeoli (Westport, Connecticut)
31 out of 35 found this review helpful

This is a great read for those seeking insight into the dynasty of the Medici. It is a great book for the casual reader, especially as an introduction to Italian Renaissance society. The family's rise and subsequent fall are chronicled over several centuries in this intriguing history. In addition, it provides a great deal of content concerning some of the period's most famous artists and politicians.


Great read, but a couple of flaws reduce its value.   August 20, 2000
Elsie Wilson (Aberystwyth, Cymru)
25 out of 27 found this review helpful

A wonderful story, fascinating and well written, the tale of the founders, insofar as any one family can be so called, of the Renaissence. The Medici have fascinated me ~ as no doubt many others ~ for a long time; i am interested to learn as much of them as i can. This book has arranged that. I do have a few quibbles with it, though, which detracted from my enjoyment of it. First, it really ought to come equipped with a family tree, chart, some kind of description to show the various relations between the family members. I was reduced to flipping back and forth, at times, to try and remember who a certain person was. Even Hibbert himself is not entirely certain, it would seem, as he confuses Lorenzaccio di Pierfrancesco and Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco, who have to be of separate generations, if the rest of the line is to make sense. Secondly, the notes, while interesting, are also frustrating, as they give information about the various palazzi and artworks of Florence; the information is really intrusive in this manner: It would have been better if integrated into the text ~ though this would be a different, lesser, book ~ or left out entirely; Hibbert at times seems not to know if he is writing a history or a guidebook to Firenze -- the latter i didn't need. In the main, however, i really enjoyed this book, and would have liked it even a little longer, had Hibbert given more information about the later generations it would have been better (he doesn't even mention Leo XI, who was a Medici, for example).


Readable history   May 10, 1999
24 out of 24 found this review helpful

I read this book when I was writing my dissertation around the subject. It was a pleasant surprise after absorbing so many dry text books - it reads like a story. The carnivals, artists and daily trials of life in Renaissance Florence are vividly described in this book. A detailed history and a fascinating insight into one of the richest areas of Italian history.