The Medicean Succession

“Murry’s meticulously researched and constructed study advances our understanding of Florence’s transition from republic to duchy. By placing religion firmly at the center of political discourse, and mining an impressive array of previously untapped sources, Murry shows how Cosimo I manipulated long-held cultural, religious, and political traditions to support a new polity.”—Peter Howard, Monash University

“How did Grand Duke Cosimo dei Medici convince the deeply republican Florentines to accept the alien concept of a sacred prince? That is the difficult question Murry answers in his fine analysis of Medicean court culture and ritual. Cosimo had powerful dragons to slay, including Machiavelli’s theorized republican virtues and Savonarola’s moral reform movement. Murry’s impressive investigations demonstrate how Cosimo adapted local traditions of terrestrial divinity to transform himself into a divine prince.”—Edward Muir, Northwestern University