Cultural Politics of Duke Cosimo I de' Medici

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.