The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance

Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance tells the story of a violent, dramatic and compelling age; a critical turning point in Western history. Travel back in time to see the real human stories behind the European Renaissance, and the family that bankrolled it. This is a family who inspired some of the greatest moments in the birth of the modern world and challenged some of the greatest thinkers and pioneers of the age.



Filmed on 16mm film entirely on location in Italy, the story of the Medici is an epic drama that weaves the descendants of one Tuscan family with momentous cultural and political turning points. Played out in the courts, cathedrals and palaces of Renaissance Europe, this is the cradle of modern civilization. (from pbs.org)

Episode 1 - Birth of a Dynasty

Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4

Episode 1 - Birth of a Dynasty

Wealthy Florentine banker Cosimo de' Medici's search of Europe for relics of antiquity sparks classical learning and inventive thinking.

Episode 2 - The Magnificent Medici

Lorenzo de' Medici becomes a driving force of the Renaissance; monk Savonarola promotes fundamentalist purification of Florence after the death of Lorenzo de' Medici.

Episode 3 - The Medici Pope

Giovanni de' Medici becomes Pope Leo X in 1513 and begins to sell indulgences to restore papal funds; Martin Luther protests the selling of indulgences.

Episode 4 - Power vs. Truth

Giorgio Vasari writes a book to define the Renaissance; Galileo pursues his scientific studies with the support of the Medici family.