May 12, 2004
The Medici
The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance is the title of a lurid and sensational docudrama that recently aired on PBS. Its thesis is that the Medici were the Renaissance analogues to the Corleone family. Yesterday, I attended a talk by Harvard professor James Hankins, who could barely contain his outrage at this absurdity. It was a very entertaining and informative session. Prof Hankins is an expert on the Italian Renaissance, and Leonardo Bruni in particular. He objects, as do I, to the depiction of the Medici as a crime family. The Medici ruled Florence for much of the time Niccolò was alive through a complex system of political patronage, yet they were scrupulous in their observance of the letter of the law. Furthermore, all of their money and power was accrued through legal means; banking, primarily. Unlike a mafia family, they did not make their fortune through criminal channels (e.g. drugs, prostitution, extortion, etc.) One could make an argument that their system of patronage is similar to racketeering, but it's a stretch, particularly considering that political patronage was the norm at the time. The Medici just did it better than anyone else.
Prof. Hankins draws the distinction between formal and informal channels of power. Power that flows through informal channels generally takes the form of political favors, backroom deals, and appointments based on friendship or loyalty. As we all know, power flows through informal channels even today: the power of lobbyists in Washington and the construction contracts awarded to politicians' associates are good examples. The difference between these uses of informal power and that of a mafia family is that the Medici and the lobbyist operate within the law, although they may violate the spirit of it.
Still, the imagery of The Medici is wonderful. I've used the DVD for a lot of reference material for buildings, soldiers' and commoners' clothing for Machiavelli. I have a ton of screen captures like the one above, which shows the Duomo in the process of being built.