livius drusus
01-06-2005, 11:14 PM
The Medici Granducal Archive is an enormous collection of records covering over 200 years (1537-1743) of history which has up until recently never been indexed, microfilmed or any other such thing. It is now being catalogued and entered into an online database thanks to the fine people at the Medici Archive Project (http://www.medici.org).
The archive of the Medici Grand Dukes is one of the greatest yet least known Medici monuments. Established by Grand Duke Cosimo I in 1569, it offers the most complete record of any princely regime in Renaissance and Baroque Europe. Since this Archive consists mostly of letters (nearly three million filling a full kilometer of shelf-space), it offers an incomparable panorama of two-hundred years of human history, as told in the words of the people most immediately involved.
The archive search (http://www.medici.org/search/) is enormous, leading at the very least to thorough document reports and sometimes to the full document. It is arranged in three main areas of study: Arts & Humanities, Jewish History and Costume & Textiles, and it's quite simply breathtaking.
A few of my favorite documents include (all titles M.A.P. Research Associate originals):
A Roman Carnival (http://www.medici.org/news/dom/dom042001.html), which includes a passing reference to Cardinal Roberto Bellarmino of Galileo trial fame, a brief but fascinating glimpse at the position of Jews in the society, and this gem of a sentence:
On the following day [27 February], a set of very strict regulations was proclaimed in order to avoid scandalous occurrences of any sort, forbidding (among other things) that whores and ecclesiastics be present in the Corso on the day when races are run.
Wine, Women and Song (if all else fails) (http://www.medici.org/news/dom/dom112000.html), which at first blush looks like Cosimo de Medici gossiping about who got laid but turns out to be a report on a rather intricate political maneuver.
Listen to Mother: Prenatal Care for the Duchess of Mantua (http://www.medici.org/news/dom/dom072000.html), a touching blend of clucking mummy and formality of speech, with an interesting Renaissance medicine angle.
They're not letters exactly, but I really like the avvisi. They're like the wire services of the Renaissance: news packets via courier. The one about the Spanish Armada (http://www.medici.org/news/dom/dom082001.html) is Dewey Defeats Truman on a massive scale. Not only did the Armada land in Scotland, according to this avviso from Antwerp, but the English got their asses kicked and were lining up for a second helping of Catholic whupass. (See here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/state/monarchs_leaders/adams_armada_05.shtml) for a quick description of how it actually went down.)
For any fan of history, particularly Renaissance and Baroque, this is an inestimable resource. Browse through the document reports (Arts and Humanities (http://www.medici.org/hum/topics/), Jewish History (http://www.medici.org/jewish/docs.html)) to see the astounding range and vivid depictions of Renaissance life contained in this archive. Or else, peruse this handy PDF (http://www.medici.org/general/medici-eBook.pdf) for an great overview.
The archive of the Medici Grand Dukes is one of the greatest yet least known Medici monuments. Established by Grand Duke Cosimo I in 1569, it offers the most complete record of any princely regime in Renaissance and Baroque Europe. Since this Archive consists mostly of letters (nearly three million filling a full kilometer of shelf-space), it offers an incomparable panorama of two-hundred years of human history, as told in the words of the people most immediately involved.
The archive search (http://www.medici.org/search/) is enormous, leading at the very least to thorough document reports and sometimes to the full document. It is arranged in three main areas of study: Arts & Humanities, Jewish History and Costume & Textiles, and it's quite simply breathtaking.
A few of my favorite documents include (all titles M.A.P. Research Associate originals):
A Roman Carnival (http://www.medici.org/news/dom/dom042001.html), which includes a passing reference to Cardinal Roberto Bellarmino of Galileo trial fame, a brief but fascinating glimpse at the position of Jews in the society, and this gem of a sentence:
On the following day [27 February], a set of very strict regulations was proclaimed in order to avoid scandalous occurrences of any sort, forbidding (among other things) that whores and ecclesiastics be present in the Corso on the day when races are run.
Wine, Women and Song (if all else fails) (http://www.medici.org/news/dom/dom112000.html), which at first blush looks like Cosimo de Medici gossiping about who got laid but turns out to be a report on a rather intricate political maneuver.
Listen to Mother: Prenatal Care for the Duchess of Mantua (http://www.medici.org/news/dom/dom072000.html), a touching blend of clucking mummy and formality of speech, with an interesting Renaissance medicine angle.
They're not letters exactly, but I really like the avvisi. They're like the wire services of the Renaissance: news packets via courier. The one about the Spanish Armada (http://www.medici.org/news/dom/dom082001.html) is Dewey Defeats Truman on a massive scale. Not only did the Armada land in Scotland, according to this avviso from Antwerp, but the English got their asses kicked and were lining up for a second helping of Catholic whupass. (See here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/state/monarchs_leaders/adams_armada_05.shtml) for a quick description of how it actually went down.)
For any fan of history, particularly Renaissance and Baroque, this is an inestimable resource. Browse through the document reports (Arts and Humanities (http://www.medici.org/hum/topics/), Jewish History (http://www.medici.org/jewish/docs.html)) to see the astounding range and vivid depictions of Renaissance life contained in this archive. Or else, peruse this handy PDF (http://www.medici.org/general/medici-eBook.pdf) for an great overview.