Medici, Cosimo de'

(1389-1464)

   The son of Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici, Cosimo was exiled from Florence by the Albizzi, who headed the city's oligarchic regime, for leading an opposing political faction. That faction was powerful enough to have Cosimo recalled in 1434 and the Albizzi removed from power. Cosimo became the leader of a republican system he quietly governed from behind the scenes. To ensure his hegemony, he banished his opponents and appointed magistrates from among his supporters. He also forged alliances with Milan, Naples, Rome, and Venice. His court is considered to have been key to the development of the Renaissance as he supported scholars such as Argyropoulous and Marsilio Ficino, who opened the Platonic Academy in Florence with his backing. He also was the patron of Donatello and Michelozzo, who designed his Palazzo Medici (beg. 1436). Cosimo also affected the Florentine religious fabric as he was a major supporter of the Dominicans. He gave them the San Marco Monastery in Florence after expelling the Sylvestrine monks who had occupied the building and had allowed it to fall into disrepair. Cosimo had Michelozzo renovate the structure and add a library, the first to be built in the Renaissance. Once completed, he donated 400 Latin and Greek manuscripts as the core of its collection, establishing San Marco as one of the most important public libraries of Europe. In 1438-1445, he also financed the frescoes Fra Angélico painted in the monastery's cells.