January 16th - Medici Bank

On this day, in 1412, the Medici family was appointed as the official banker to the Papacy. Their opening hours immediately reduced from nine to five to 10.30am to 3.30pm. The Pope was not happy about this because he could never get to the bank when he had a communion to do, or give, or make, or whatever you do at communion.

 

The Medicis were a family in the Republic of Florence that became politically prominent, financially powerful, and, as far as boots were concerned, fashionable to boot.

 

The family came from the agricultural Mugello region to the North of Florence. You better believe they liked tomatoes. The name "Medici" is the plural of the word "medico" meaning medical doctor. Therefore, the "Medicis" is the plural of a plural and means an infinite number of medical doctors who like tomatoes.

 

The Medici's rise to power was probably due to their social position. Through a number of strategic partnerships and marriages they became a central point for anyone in business. If you want to start a trattoria or cafe then you should visit the Medici. Or, if you had two thousand tonnes of tomatoes to offload then the Medici Cayman Island Offshore Tomato Holding Corporation was for you.

 

After an apprenticeship in the tomato-holding industry the Medici opened a bank. This was a wise business decision because money is worth more money than tomatoes. The Medici Bank was the most respected European bank of the 15th century. It was even more respected that Crazy Ivan's Junk Bond Emporium.

 

Their power was so great that they had their own currency that was more respected than any other European currency. It was even more popular than the Crazy Ivan, which was worth half a Schzruble.

 

The major players in the Medici family were Giovani di Bicci who started the bank, Lorenzo de' Medici, the magnificent one, and Piero de' Medici, also known as Piero the Gouty because of his crippling gout that eventually killed him. It is likely that he really died of jealousy after being dubbed "gouty" when everyone else had cool names like "the magnificent".

 

The Medici legacy can be seen in most Florentine art from the time of their rule. They sponsored plenty of renaissance art and the occasional artist tomato sack race. They also supported the sciences and Galileo honoured them by naming the four moons of Jupiter after four of the Medici children. There was Bluey, Rocky, Gouty, and Other One.