Medici Money: Banking, Metaphysics, and Art in Fifteenth-Century Florence

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Medici Money: Banking, Metaphysics, and Art in Fifteenth-Century Florence

3.55 of 5 stars 3.55 · rating details · 182 ratings · 31 reviews

Before they achieved renown as patrons of the arts and de facto rulers of Florence, the Medici family earned their fortune in banking. But even at the height of the Renaissance, charging interest of any kind meant running afoul of the Catholic Church’s ban on usury. Tim Parks reveals how the legendary Medicis—Cosimo and Lorenzo “the Magnificent” in particular—used the dipl...more

Paperback, 288 pages

Published May 17th 2006 by W. W. Norton & Company (first published 2005)

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Dec 26, 2012 Scott rated it 2 of 5 stars

Parks brings us 100 years of Florentine history, from 1389 to 1494 - it's the rise and fall of the Medicis, the invention of international banking, and the Renaissance. While it's a complex book, he does well by laying out a chronology, and a chapter of "The Big Picture" in the front of the book. This telling of what he's going to tell us keeps you from getting lost during the progress of the book.

Parks has two basic principles for his theme - first, loan money and you are a usurer and condemned...more

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Jan 23, 2012 S'hi rated it 4 of 5 stars

The fascinating thing about this book is its ability to describe illusory elements of society and power, as if they are able to be observed despite the deliberate means used to obscure them. There are a number of references to “the secrets of our town” and each reference holds a sense of a different kind of understanding between those who know and the rest of us who may feel some inkling from time to time but can never be really sure.

Medici Money is a book about power, authority and influence. I...more

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Jun 16, 2011 Salem rated it 5 of 5 stars

A very engaging narrative and a nice mixture of history and finance. Of all the history books I’ve read, this is by far the most fun to read. The best thing I came out with after reading this book is the similarities between our modern-day life and the world back in the 15th century. Although we tend to think differently, the motivations and struggles that existed back then still exists today in most societies. Except for the speed of transportation and communication, most of our human habits ar...more A very engaging narrative and a nice mixture of history and finance. Of all the history books I’ve read, this is by far the most fun to read. The best thing I came out with after reading this book is the similarities between our modern-day life and the world back in the 15th century. Although we tend to think differently, the motivations and struggles that existed back then still exists today in most societies. Except for the speed of transportation and communication, most of our human habits are the same and has not changed. Banking and commerce is just one example.

If you think modern financing tools of using exchange of goods instead of direct lending is an invention of modern day middle eastern theologians, think again. Back in the 1400’s in Italy, the lending of money with interest was banned by the catholic church. However, just like our modern capitalistic world, back then, merchants wanted to borrow and bankers wanted to be compensated for their risk.

To get around this, Medici Bank invented what is called the bill of exchange. What this bill does is allow a merchant to obtain a bill from Italy and cash in Italy’s currency with the promise to pay it back in London after sometime with the London’s currency. The catch, however, is the difference in exchange rate. For example a unit of Italian currency would only buy you 3 goats. However, the exchange rate used in London would buy you 4 goats.Therefore, the lender would make a profit of 1 goat by manipulating the value of the medium–in this case, currency.

Another practice would replace currency prices with prices of any commodity, such as steel. The client obtains 4 tons of steel from the bank for future payment at the price of 5 tons. The bank makes a profit of 1 ton of steel from this loan by manipulating the price of the medium–in this case, steel. In reality, what would happen is the profit from the transaction is made to be similer to what it would be had interest been charged.

Motivation is important. In both cases, if the motivation is the exchange of goods for a profit and not the lending for interest, then it is not usury. Of course, this is a big if. Most of the time, it is clear that what the merchant wants is a loan in cash and is willing to pay interest on it.

In regards to fixed deposits with interest, the practice was prohibited by the church for it was considered usury. This was mitigated by Medici Bank’s invention of discretionary deposit accounts. In this case, the client would deposit the money at the bank, but without contractual obligation for the bank to pay interest. The return, or profit, would then be given as a “gift” at the bank’s discretion, hence the term discretionary account. “If the bank failed to produce the gift…the customer took his cash elsewhere.”

All these practices were declared not usury by the Pope at the time. To quote the author, “for everything must be declared a sin or not a sin, ‘He who is not for me is against me’, Christ said”

Again, all this happened in 15th century in Europe–six-hundred years ago!(less)

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Jan 01, 2010 Gerald Sinstadt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Medici Money is, in the author's words, "a brief reflection on the Medici of the fifteenth century - their bank; their politics; their marriages, slaves and mistresses; the conspiracies they survived; the houses they built and the artists they patronized." And so indeed it is, 250 smoothly readable pages, informed by a mind that might seem cynical were it not expressed with an acerbic wit.

Take, for example, Tim Parks on an occasion when the public debt was running out of control. "The governmen...more Medici Money is, in the author's words, "a brief reflection on the Medici of the fifteenth century - their bank; their politics; their marriages, slaves and mistresses; the conspiracies they survived; the houses they built and the artists they patronized." And so indeed it is, 250 smoothly readable pages, informed by a mind that might seem cynical were it not expressed with an acerbic wit.

Take, for example, Tim Parks on an occasion when the public debt was running out of control. "The government announces that from now on, interest returns on tax loans will only be paid when and to the extent possible. As a result, disappointed lenders in need of ready cash start selling their debt bonds to those speculators who can wait. The Domicans says this is usury and the Franciscans say it is not. What do we have different religious orders for, if not for a second opinion?"

If the Medici didn't quite invent banking they worked hard to develop it. Not an easy task when the Roman church condemned lending money at interest as usury. Then there was the problem of moving money between branches established in other Italian cities and soon throughout Europe. To move money physically was too dangerous. The bankers became merchants, investing the money they held in commodities they could sell - they hoped - at a profit. The Letter of Credit was introduced, with cunning caveats to placate Rome - but nothing eased relations with the Pope more effectively than lending him money. The Medici were of necessity politicians, too, adept at manipulating power over Florence and relationships elsewhere.

Five generations of the Medici family ran the bank from inception to collapse over a period that is neatly bounded by the fifteenth century. They accumulated wealth in a manner that may not have been usury but was close enough, and spent much of it preparing heir path to heaven by lavishing it on churches and decorating them with great art. Parks doesn't ignore the metaphysical paradox. "Even today there are many who believe that art is necessarily on the right side, and do not ask which bank sponsored it."

Renaissance Italy is an overwritten area in European history, but there is always room for the work of a skilled story-teller. A light touch with serious subjects helps earn Medici Money an honourable place on a crowded shelf.(less)

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Jun 03, 2011 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: early-modern-history, the-economy, political-history, nonfiction

This is a book with incredibly interesting content that is let down by inadequate writing and mediocre composition. In terms of content, this book is incredibly fascinating. This book is quite brief, and there is nothing wrong with that. Its abbreviated size means that it should have been an excellent way to introduce oneself to the world of late medieval/early Renaissance Florence and Northern/Central Italy. This is the guide book that one can pick up before trying to read a more detailed and d...more This is a book with incredibly interesting content that is let down by inadequate writing and mediocre composition. In terms of content, this book is incredibly fascinating. This book is quite brief, and there is nothing wrong with that. Its abbreviated size means that it should have been an excellent way to introduce oneself to the world of late medieval/early Renaissance Florence and Northern/Central Italy. This is the guide book that one can pick up before trying to read a more detailed and dense history. I am also impressed with many aspects of Park's analysis. I think he has some very cogent assessments of the meaning of the many complex events in the glittering and roiling Medici court. I am not sorry to have read this book.

However, I must take exception to Park's style. The book starts out well enough, laying a good groundwork for understanding late medieval banking. The narrative bogs considerably when it comes to Cosimo de Medici, however, the man who brought the Medici bank to the height of its powers. When Parks gets to Lorenzo 'the Magnificent' - grandson of Cosimo - the narrative improves considerably and it is clear that Parks, despite pointing out Lorenzo's considerable defects as a banker, is much more interested by Lorenzo the profligate than he is by the sober and cautious Cosimo.

For my taste, Park's style is just too different and 'innovative'. I get the sense that he is trying a more 'modern' form of prose style and for my part it does not work. For one thing, he is in love with hanging participles, sentence fragments, and dropping verbs. This makes his writing closer to how many people may *talk* but it makes for bad writing. Speech is not the same as writing, and trying to make them the same generally leads to bad speech or bad writing. Parks also indulges too often with putting words in the mouth of his subjects, and doing so without quotation marks. This can get really confusing, and it is not something that I prefer in a history. Additionally, Parks often gets careless with indefinite pronouns, so that it becomes hard to determine, for instance, which 'he' from the prior sentence Parks is referring to. In a history book this can be a killer, as the cast is already difficult enough to distinguish.

For modern American readers, for instance, it is difficult enough to keep track of all of the different Italian names in play (My great-grandfather was Italian so this is not an ethnic jab), but Parks makes it even harder by not being considerate of his readers. He needed to work harder to overcome the confusion that a profusion of names can cause. (After all, how often do readers complain about Russian novels? It is important to make the cast of characters tractable to the reader.)

I do wish that Parks had chosen to be less 'innovative' in his prose style precisely because his prose took away from what was in itself an incredible story to begin with. There was no need to use his prose to spice up the narrative. Instead his prose only made an already complex story more difficult to understand. (By and by I come from that subsection of academia that is firmly against that kind of thing.)

Not as egregious, but also annoying was Park's composition at times. As stated above, his narrative is best when it comes to Lorenzo the Magnificent, and is often deficient elsewhere. His composition is best when it comes to Lorenzo, the flow from idea to idea, topic to topic is very good. But from the first quarter of the book to the last quarter the composition is choppy and inconsistent, the flow is constantly interrupted by segues into pertinent but poorly introduced concepts. What Parks needed to do, and he does this when it comes to Lorenzo, was to do more overall framing. He needed to explain the greater meaning of Cosimo in the same way he did for Lorenzo. If he had done this, it would have made his collection of facts gel into a unity and thereby make more sense. This is the ultimate aim of composition after all. Well composed writing moves from strength to strength, causing each new fact or observation to contribute to the whole. This is the duty of the writer. This is not to say that the reader can be completely passive, but since as in a dance the writer is the lead, then it is up to the writer to become that lead through the efficient and logical organization of ideas.

He ends the book with extreme abruptness and this is in keeping with his other writing decisions. But I must say that it does the book no service to have done this. A short conclusion is not that hard to write and as with any good meal, a dessert at least brings a satisfactory closure.

I do not want to be too hard on Parks. His book is perfectly acceptable as a short history, and the book being short means his sins are not all that horrible. In an 800 page history, his mistakes would have had a much worse effect. The reader will learn about the Medici and be ready to take on longer accounts if he or she is so inclined. I also think Parks' analysis of historical events are very enlightening. I don't agree with all of them, but they all made me think, and I like that. But this book frustrates me precisely because it could have been so much better. A uniformly bad book does not frustrate me as much as a book that gets ever so close and then falls down. (less)

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Aug 09, 2010 Dpdwyer rated it 2 of 5 stars

This wasn't what I was hoping it would be, but he is a good writer. In 1400, at the beginning of the Medici banks, loaning money for interest, was, according to the Church, just about the worst sin possible. You could buy and sell slaves, father children with your servants and mistresses, but don't lend money. The rise of international trade almost required credit (and thus interest), so they came up with devious ways to get around the ban and eventually to bring the Church around. Since our eco...more

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Mar 13, 2010 Architeuthis rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2000s, history

For the last few months I've been studying Italy during the Renaissance. And I've been researching it in the only logical way for a studious college grad to study anything: wikipedia.

Well, not JUST wikipedia. Also, other Renaissance-focused websites that I could never reference if writing an article for ANYTHING. Fortunately, the research isn't for any kind of reputable writing. It's for the fantasy novel I've been slowly brewing these past few months. Subjects I need to study for this book: th...more For the last few months I've been studying Italy during the Renaissance. And I've been researching it in the only logical way for a studious college grad to study anything: wikipedia.

Well, not JUST wikipedia. Also, other Renaissance-focused websites that I could never reference if writing an article for ANYTHING. Fortunately, the research isn't for any kind of reputable writing. It's for the fantasy novel I've been slowly brewing these past few months. Subjects I need to study for this book: the Catholic church and Italy during the 1400's (the fifteenth century in general, actually); the spiritual traditions of Native Americans from the Great Plains; possibly Napoleon, if I get super ambitious. No, trust me, in makes sense. Anyway, if any goodreaders out there have any recommendations on any of these topics, please shoot them my way.

On to the book in question: Medici Money. This was a fascinating and witty look at the rise and fall of family Medici, the family that had nearly monarch-like control of Florence at a time when the appearance of republicanism was a central part of Florence's identity. Despite the constant flux of people in and out of power (the council in charge was 'randomly' determined, and changed every TWO MONTHS), the Medicis managed to control a vast amount of the goings-on in Florence. For most of a century.

Tim Parks's writing is witty, entertaining and vivid. But, he doesn't cite sources! This was a constant source of frustration for me, although he has an afterword discussing other good books on the subject of the Medicis. It was an enjoyable enough book for me to look past the lack of sources and simply hope Tim Parks is honest.

His style makes this every bit as entertaining as it is informative. His voice is conversational, with occasional digressions, lots of sentence fragments, and several moments where he vividly describes the scene---smells, colors, sounds---surrounding the book's characters. Speaking of characters, he paints Cosimo and Lorenzo Medici vividly, providing insight into their characters without either villainizing them or drooling all over their robes. The other Medicis in between aren't given as much detail, but he's clearly chosen to focus on the most interesting two.

That said, the book screeches to an end without much warning. And, after reading the whole thing and hearing about this family that suffered from crippling gout, I still have no idea what gout is. Back to wikipedia!

Did you know? Peasants in Florence were required to wear just one color of clothing at a time. And there were strict limits on the numbers and types of buttons peasant women could wear. Also, the wealthy exchanged a form of currency called the florin, while the poor were paid in a completely separate currency. Because of a ridiculous exchange rate, it was entirely impractical to convert your money from this lesser currency into florins. Thus, the peasants were kept in place by their currency, in addition to everything else keeping them down.

Anyway, I'm glad to have stumbled across this terrific little book. It's a fast, entertaining read, with a lot of irony and intrigue packed in. If the subject matter interests you, you really should seek this book out. (less)

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Sep 02, 2010 Julie Mackin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, financial-history, 2010-books

An interesting read; Parks has a slightly less academic approach to the history of the Medici's and their banks in Italy and throughout Europe. He is most entertaining when talking about the nature of banking in the fifteenth century and the inherent contradictions that arise from running a business that's main profits derive from something that is considered a mortal sin (usury). I liked the book less when Parks talks more in depth about the lives of the Medici - mostly Lorenzo. His tone is too...more

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Feb 13, 2011 Scott Kellicker rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really fascinating book. Always knew the Medici as noble arts patrons-- and they were certainly the arts patrons-- but this sketches the history of their bank in Europe. Some of the more fascinating aspects:

Usury was considered a mortal sin. So banks really didn't lend money at interest or borrow money at interest-- they lent money with no strings attached and -- wink wink-- the borrower would give the lender a periodic gift.

The Vatican and various bishops and cardinals were some of the biggest...more

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Oct 07, 2008 Three rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone interested in history and/or finance

Not interested in Italian Renaissance History? No problem! Aside from the fact that Parks is a good enough writer to make any subject interesting, this book is about far more than the Medici clan (though it's also a good place to start in relation to them). It's equally about the nature of money, and banking - with plenty of contemporary resonance.

For example:

"Usury alters things. With interest rates, money is no longer a simple and stable metal commodity that just happens to have been chosen as...more

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Jul 07, 2009 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars

As the title indicates, the book undeniably exposes the money of the Medici as it relates to their banking and patronage – artistic/dogmatic, in Florence during the 1400’s. It features the Renaissance Medici men from Giovanni Di Bicci to Piero di Lorenzo (respectively the first and the last of that era; the era of the Medici bank) and those that surrounded them – the godly and the diabolical. This book is somewhat misleading or rather – it didn’t fulfill my expectation or anticipation. The book...more As the title indicates, the book undeniably exposes the money of the Medici as it relates to their banking and patronage – artistic/dogmatic, in Florence during the 1400’s. It features the Renaissance Medici men from Giovanni Di Bicci to Piero di Lorenzo (respectively the first and the last of that era; the era of the Medici bank) and those that surrounded them – the godly and the diabolical. This book is somewhat misleading or rather – it didn’t fulfill my expectation or anticipation. The book is really about where our modern thought and banking originated (debatable) – it’s a commentary on government and economics. There are also two themes or motives that run, clandestinely, through out the book: the triangle or trinity and the dichotomy – ternary and binary antonyms.`

It ended abruptly, maybe apropos to the abrupt but consequential end to the Medici bank. The book was purchased for me in a reaction and support of my pride and zeal in Italy. The flow of the book is disjunct. It is very conversational, like sitting down with a friend rant about all these cool things they learned. The style is refreshing for the first few chapters; it’s almost like a long article or journal entry, but certainly didactic. It is refreshing because the content can, in any other setting, precariously slip in to monotony.

Some quotes from the book that I really enjoyed + some reactions:
“At this point, my advice is to stop worrying too much about “the truth” and to go back to what material from the time is still available and readable.”

“It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for the rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” ‘ every body knows what. Yet who was richer than prince and cardinal?’

“..as between any permanent enemies. They need each other to become themselves.”

“…money, as we have already said, is that it does not respect traditional hierarchies.”

“..delirium of piety and empire.”

“…Gobbled up, the fruit is never properly swallowed.”

"...mime of decorum."
(less)

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Jun 17, 2012 Jeff rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was a fascinating explanation of Italian politics and culture in the Renaissance, and it gave a good perspective on the battles over wealth and power that kept the Italian peninsula politically fragmented for so long. The rise of the Medici family was based on the banking wealth they acquired over the course of two or three generations, and the fall was the result of the neglect of banking for the involvement in politics in Florence and elsewhere.

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Apr 06, 2013 Joseph Scipione rated it 3 of 5 stars

I don't read many business books and even though there is a lot of history in this book it's labeled business. I don't know if it is the fact that I not used to reading business books but I felt the author was coming across as very arrogant, again maybe this is just the way business books are written. Given that,the book was great at providing insight into the business and wealth of the Medici family.

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Jul 18, 2012 Penny rated it 5 of 5 stars

Really important for me - a great help in getting to grips not with the beauty of the Renaissance but the "Why" of the Renaissance - a real help in getting to grips with the subject but written in such a way that it is not a huge effort - almost a page turner - I really enjoyed it and - more importantly , I often use it for reference - thanks Mr Parks!

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Jun 11, 2010 Wm rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: finance-economics-business, socio-poli-religio-cultural

So what if Parks gets a bit too clever with his prose in places. For the most part this is a fascinating story, winningly told, with a sprinkling of humor (except for a few lines that fall flat), a strong opinion about previous Medici scholarship, a master class in power, leadership, and money, and a fervently subversive reminder of just how much the current powers that be (in finance and politics, but especially in banking and Fortune 500 golden parachute-dom) are farcically reenacting the same...more

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Nov 18, 2011 Kathy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: italy, non-fiction, read-in-2011

Tim Parks has that infuriating habit of talking about the past in the present tense. For this reason, I cannot recommend this book to anyone who respects correct grammatical usage.

Apart from this criticism, this book is an interesting account of the Medici family and their influence on fifteenth century Florence.

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Jan 31, 2008 Eric rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a cool book but not nearly as cool as I thought. It was voted one of the best books of the year (2007?) by Economist. This book certainly teaches the reader about the time when it is set - 1400 Florence (and Italy in general). However, I feel as though there have to be better books out there that cover this time period and these characters and their important impact on society via artists, Catholic popes and their control of the city of Florence than this book. And if there isn't a bette...more

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Feb 19, 2013 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Tim Parks is a witty, perceptive writer. I read this in preparation for a trip to Florence. It did not disappoint.

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Jul 18, 2012 Rosalind Hallifax rated it 4 of 5 stars

A brilliant summary and clear explanation of Medici relationships with each other and their financial dealings.

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Jul 07, 2010 Laurie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this after visiting Florence and it was an interesting way to read about the culture of the times.

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Feb 13, 2012 Brenda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Fun and fast to read - not sure about his slant at times, but still an interesting book about an interesting family

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Aug 01, 2011 Kristine Morris added it · review of another edition

A fascinating read!

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Jan 03, 2012 Titi rated it 2 of 5 stars

poorly written.

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Dec 02, 2008 Denis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When a serious book about financial history reads like a historical thriller, it's hard not to be impressed. Parks writes with great knowledge and yet clarity, and a sure sense of storytelling, about the florentine family which, basically, invented the banking system: it's fascinating and illuminating - I learned as much on the times it explores as on how what happened centuries ago in Florence has influenced our lives.

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Dec 10, 2012 Dawn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction-history

This book included some very fascinating insights into the life and times of 15th century Florence and the demise of the Medici bank but the details of art and banking were lost on me.

I don't think I have enough interest in banking to admire this book as it should be.

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Oct 20, 2007 Ben Havlik rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of Machiavelli

Learn about the corruption of the Church, the land, and the people in 15th Century Italy. Amazing how wealth and power was accumulated in an ever shifting world of alliances and deceit.

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Sep 29, 2010 Richard rated it 2 of 5 stars

Had to read more about the Medici empire after spending yesterday afternoon at The Franklin Institute viewing the Galileo exhibit

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Sep 25, 2008 Stan rated it 3 of 5 stars

A little dry, but worth it if traveling to Florence, it'll put all those Palazzo's into perspective.

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Sep 02, 2008 Emily rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the family that basically built Florence. You can also say that they invented modern banking.

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Apr 29, 2011 A.M. Dellamonica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Great info, but the lapses into a sort of dreamt narrative writing style didn't do it for me.

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About Tim Parks

Born in Manchester in 1954, Tim Parks grew up in London and studied at Cambridge and Harvard. In 1981 he moved to Italy where he has lived ever since. He has written eleven novels including Europa, Destiny, Cleaver and, most recently, Dreams of Rivers and Seas, as well as three non-fiction accounts of life in northern Italy (most recently A Season with Verona), a collection of 'narrative' essays,...more

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