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The Medici didn't start out as the most powerful family in Italy. Other families and syndicates were just as rich, and just as ambitious. But no one knew more about getting ahead - and staying ahead - than the Medici. They clawed their way to the top through bribery, corruption and violence. Those who stood in their way often wound up humiliated - or dead. And the Medici exploited a network of “friends of friends” - hangers on who would do anything to stay close to the family, extorting from the weak, and crushing their enemies. And it cut both ways. For the Medici, this network of amici degli amici - the magic words in Renaissance Italy - was the key to fame, fortune and survival. Governing Florence like a medieval mafia, the power of the Medici stretched all the way to Rome, where even the papacy was something to be bought and sold. They were the Godfathers of the Renaissance. ...more God's Bankers | Losing Face | Guys & Dolls | Other Contenders | Hit Parade |
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Rapsheets: Medici mobsters | ||
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Family Tree: Medici Who's Who | |
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How to be a Medieval Mobster
- God's Bankers
- Losing Face
- Guys & Dolls
- Other Contenders
- The Hit Parade
Family Tree
Rapsheets
Quiz - Who are you?