Trained in the family business from a young age, Cosimo hungers to learn. As a young man he attends lectures in classical philosophy and literature and is one of the first generation of humanists.

Cosimo encourages his father to invest their wealth in civic patronage and befriends the up-and-coming architect Brunelleschi.

After his father’s death, Cosimo becomes Capo and runs into trouble with the jealous Albizzi. Faced with execution in 1434, Cosimo bribes his way out of jail. Under cover of darkness, he and his family are forced out of Florence.

When he is back on top, Cosimo invests in art and learning, taking the Florentine Renaissance to new heights. He commissions Lippi, Donatello, Michelozzo and Gozzoli, and bankrolls the extraordinary Council of Florence. He is the first Godfather of the Renaissance.