Chronology

1348	The plague kills more than a third of the population of Florence
1378	The revolt of the ciompi (woolworkers’ rebellion)
1389	Birth of Cosimo de’ Medici
1397	Cosimo’s father, Giovanni di Bicci, founds the Medici bank in Florence with a branch in Rome
1400	Branch of the Medici bank opens in Naples
1402	Branch of the Medici bank opens in Venice A Medici wool factory opens in Florence
1406	Florence conquers Pisa
1408	A second Medici wool factory opens in Florence
1410	Baldassarre Cossa elected Pope Giovanni XXIII
1416	Birth of Piero de’ Medici (the Gouty)
1420	Death of Baldassarre Cossa; his tomb is commissioned by Cosimo de’ Medici Giovanni di Bicci retires, leaving the bank to his son Cosimo
1424	Milanese army routs the Florentines at Zagonara
1426	Branch of the Medici bank opens in Geneva, later transferred to Lyon
1427	Introduction of the catasto, a form of direct taxation
1429	Death of Giovanni di Bicci War with Milan over Lucca
1433	Branch of the Medici bank opens in Basle Medici silk factory opens in Florence September 7, Cosimo de’ Medici arrested and exiled
1434	September 29, Cosimo recalled to Florence
1435	Giovanni Benci becomes director of the Medici holding
1436	Branch of the Medici bank opens in Ancona Dome of the Florence Duomo completed
1436–43	Restoration of the Monastery of San Marco financed and directed by Cosimo de’ Medici
1437	Christians in Florence banned from all moneylending practices
1438	Ecumenical conference between leaders of the Byzantine and Roman churches, in Florence
1439	Branch of the Medici bank opens in Bruges
1440	Death of Cosimo’s brother, Lorenzo
1442	Branch of the Medici bank opens in Pisa
1443	Closure of the Ancona and Basle branches of the Medici bank
1446	Branches of the Medici bank open in Avignon and London
1449	Birth of Lorenzo de’ Medici (the Magnificent)
1450	Francesco Sforza conquers Milan with the help of Cosimo de’ Medici
1452	Branch of the Medici bank opens in Milan
1453	Fall of Constantinople
1455	Giovanni Benci, director of the Medici holding, dies and the holding is wound up
1458	Government crisis leads to calling of a parlamento and reinforcement of Medici power
1464	Death of Cosimo Giovanni Tornabuoni becomes director of the Rome branch of the Medici bank
1465	Tommaso Portinari becomes director of the Bruges branch of the Medici bank Closure of one Medici wool factory
1466	Piero de’ Medici calls a parlamento and again consolidates Medici power; his son Lorenzo signs a deal with Pope Paul II that gives the bank a monopoly in the alum trade
1469	Death of Piero; his son Lorenzo marries the nobleborn Clarice Orsini; Francesco Sassetti becomes sole director of the Medici bank
1471	Florentine army sacks Volterra
1472	Birth of Piero de’ Medici (the Fatuous)
1476	Assassination of Galeazzo Maria Sforza, duke of Milan, major client of the Medici bank
1477	Death in battle of Charles, duke of Burgundy (le Téméraire), major client of the Medici bank
1478	The conspiracy of the Pazzi. Giuliano de’ Medici, Lorenzo’s younger brother, assassinated; Lorenzo survives; war with Rome and Naples ensues Closure of the Milan and Avignon branches of the Medici bank
1479	December, Lorenzo goes alone to Naples to negotiate a peace with King Ferrante
1480	Turks raid Otranto on the southeast coast of Italy and take 10,000 people as slaves Closure of the Bruges and London branches of the Medici bank and of the Medici silk factory
1481	Closure of the Venice branch of the Medici bank
1485	Lionetto de’ Rossi, head of the Lyon branch of the bank, recalled to Florence and arrested for fraudulent bankruptcy
1489	Closure of the Pisa branch of the Medici bank Lorenzo’s second son, Giovanni di Lorenzo de’ Medici, later Pope Leo X, becomes a cardinal at the age of thirteen
1490	Death of Francesco Sassetti Savonarola begins his sermons on the apocalypse in the Monastery of San Marco
1492	Death of Lorenzo de’ Medici (the Magnificent)
1494	French invasion; flight of Piero de’ Medici (the Fatuous) and collapse of the bank