The Medici family was important to the development of the Renaissance because its members were rich bankers that sponsored several artists.
Explanation:
The Medici family was a Florentine great family from the 13th to the 18th century. The family includes three popes, several rulers of Florence and Tuscany, and later members of the French Royal House. The lineage came from humble conditions, but in the 15th century it became the most influential family in Florence and later officially ruled the city.
The wealthiest and most well-known members of the Medici family for their lifetime careers and possessions earned their wealth especially in the fabric trade and banking. The Medici Bank was one of the most respected and successful in Europe. Medici had banking activities in Italy, Geneva, London and Bruges in Flanders. However, most of the activities took place in Italy.
The Medici family had close links with many of the great Renaissance thinkers and artists such as Filippo Brunelleschi, Donatello, Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Giorgio Vasari and Galileo Galilei. They had all either lived with them, worked for them, attended daily dinner parties with them, or been supported by the Medici family.
