The House of Medici

Its Rise and Fall

By: Christopher Hibbert

Narrated by: Michael Page

At its height, Renaissance Florence was a center of enormous wealth, power, and influence. A republican city-state funded by trade and banking, its often bloody political scene was dominated by rich mercantile families, the most famous of which were the Medici. This enthralling book charts the family's huge influence on the political, economic, and cultural history of Florence. Beginning in the early 1430s with the rise of the dynasty under the near-legendary Cosimo de Medici, it moves through their golden era as patrons of some of the most remarkable artists and architects of the Renaissance, to the era of the Medici Popes and Grand Dukes, Florence's slide into decay and bankruptcy, and the end, in 1737, of the Medici line.

©1974 Christopher Hibbert (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"A superb introduction to the history and arts created by one man's greed." (Books for Breakfast)

Great Overview / Fantastic Narrator

This is a compelling introductory to the Medici, the times in which they lived, their corruptions and contributions to Florence, and their drive to further their family legacy. I found this to be an easy read despite the many foreign names and personalities, and this was aided in no small measure from the absolutely superb Audible narration.
My only recommendation would be for the book to include a picture of the family tree and maps of Florence and Italy.

A Must Read for any Visitor to Florence

Hibbert presents the highs and lows, and everything in between,,of the Medicis in an authoritative and very entertaining way. A wonderful introduction to the wonders of Florence and the family responsible for much of it.

Very boring story

This was my summer reading book and I️ had to listen to this entire book the day before school started. The story was alright, I️ think it could’ve been written better so that it wasn’t basically like reading a textbook

A book for history buffs.

I would have loved to learn more about Catherine de Medici, the French regent. Fun stories to listen to.

No need for Hollywood here

A true picture of the Medici very much worth the time and an excellent performance


The Medici simple the truth... does not need Hollywood's lies to be entertaining

Good History

I listened without knowing that the book was written over 40 years ago, and I could not tell - a good history book is a good history book, no matter when it was written. In lesser books, you may detect a period perspective (positive or negative innuendoes toward each issue), but I did not detect any period perspectives here.

The book trailed-off in interest near the end, and I realized that it was no fault of the author - it was the nature of the family itself as the later generations lost interest and finally died out (it was a good run - around 200 years of being significant).

What was really fascinating was how people thought back in the 1300's - and that the focus of human endeavor was largely no different than today (accumulating material things, trying to impress one another), and the social institutions (for example banking) were quite developed, which made me wonder how far back in history such sophistication really went. I was also struck by the general maturity of the people covered (though misguided and misplaced, lacking any truly enlightened overall life-guiding philosophy, which, in all fairness, still does not exist) (except for the Philosophy of Broader Survival, so find it and read it), I was thinking, "This is a world of adults" (contrast that with today's youth-centric environment, at least from America's marketing, media, and entertainment standpoint, and this book will be refreshingly mature).

I had heard of the family name many times in my travels through history, so I finally 'dug-in' and read some hard, specific history, which is always a daunting task, but usually rewarding, and this book was both. Good that it was audio, so I could multitask. The very least of the things I learned was how to properly pronounce their name - ME-di-chi (short e),rather than going by its misdirecting English appearance, Me-DEE-CEE. Aren't I sophisticated now.

All around A+

This book was fascinating! The story was told in a way that I felt I was in Florence, I felt that I was part of the story. Well done!

Narration was Excellent

Centuries of Medici Family history and events are researched and explained in a thorough and meaningful manner. Personalities and relationships are presented with adequate detail and incorporated into the fabric of historical context.

Mediccis built Florence

One of the most influential families in the history of the world are revealed in this fascinating narrative.

A world I never knew about.

The history is fantastic and ties together so many things: art, philosophy, religion and a family dynasty.