The Cultural Politics of Duke Cosimo I de' Medici

Download or read book The Cultural Politics of Duke Cosimo I de' Medici written by Konrad Eisenbichler and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-03-02 with total page 446 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When he suddenly came to power in Italy in 1537, the young Duke Cosimo I de' Medici amazed friends and foes alike with his ability to extricate himself from mortal danger, affirm his authority and revive a dying state. He doubled the size of his duchy and established a dynasty that ruled unchallenged for 200 years. This volume is the first book-length study in any language to approach the figure of Duke Cosimo I from the point of view of his cultural agenda. The contributors examine the political, economic, cultural and linguistic strategies that made Cosimo a successful leader, and in the process illuminate the cultural world of mid-sixteenth-century Tuscany.