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The series Medici: Master of Florence is a family drama of the famous Medici household that shaped the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century and continue to be influential long after. The series begins with the death of the household patriarch, Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici who may have died of poisoning, and the subsequent control of the family business by Cosimo de' Medici, who then led the household along with his brother Lorenzo de' Medici.

The series begins with the poisoning of Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici and Cosomo de' Medici taking over the by then well known and established Medici bank. By this time, the business was flourishing and among the largest in Europe with branches in many cities. The family also had close connections with the papacy, as they were responsible for the finances of the Pope. Throughout the series, flashbacks show Giovanni training his children, Cosimo and Lorenzo, the family banking business and being very controlling of their lives, including who they could marry. Cosimo was influenced to marry Contessina de' Bardi, which ended up being a sometimes strained marriage, although Contessina was loyal to Cosimo. Lorenzo also had great tension with his father, also involving his love life.

After sometime, Cosimo returns to Folerence as things turned poorly for the city, where it was in financial difficulty and mercenaries were causing trouble, leading them to invite back Cosimo to the Signoria. In his return, Cosimo eventually is successful in exiling his Albizzi rival, who had taken control of the government in Florence. Tensions in the investigation of Cosimo's father murder boil over as first Lorenzo and then Marco are accused. Meanwhile, Albizzi himself is murdered as he tries to begin his exile, which implicates Cosimo since he was seen as his main rival. However, that was a plot by Jacopo de' Pazzi, another member of the Signoria and prominent family head in Florence. He had Albizzi killed to try to frame Cosimo so he could take the banking account of the Papacy. This failed when a letter is uncovered that implicated Pazzi. Lorenzo, Cosimo's borther, however, was killed after he and Marco captured a Pazzi assassin. Nevertheless, the Medici family gains prominence again as they regain the Pope's favor and ultimately Florence's. The murder of Giovanni is finally uncovered when the Medici's close banking associate who kept records, Ugo, confessed to murdering Giovanni because he was ordered to kill a lover of Lorezo's that was pregnant with Lorenzo's child. His regret in this led him to kill Giovanni.

Cosimo de' Medici (1389-1464): The series depicts him as a wise and cunning head of the Medici family who also began the tradition of patronizing the arts that the Medici family became known for in the Renaissance. Historically, this was certainly the case and he was often seen as the first great head of the Medici family in the Renaissance period, although his father Giovanni helped to establish the Medici bank. The series shows Cosimo learning much from his father, but family tension also created a sometimes strained relationship. In particular, Giovanni was keen on having his sons, in particular Cosimo, marry women that provided greater power to their family. Cosimo's love of the arts was shown early on, although his father was seen as someone who discouraged such pursuits. Cosimo is historically known to have commissioned Donatello's David, which was a controversial piece for its time. He is shown as supporting Filippo Brunelleschi in his work in completing the great dome of Florence's cathedral. While Cosimo's support is accurate, others in Florence also support Brunelleschi in his masterpiece (Figure 1).<ref>For more on Cosimo, see: Kent, D. V. (2000). <i>Cosimo de’ Medici and the Florentine Renaissance: the patron’s oeuvre</i>. New Haven: Yale University Press.</ref>

[[File:1200px-Florence Duomo from Michelangelo hill.jpg|thumb|Figure 1. The dome was designed and built by Brunelleschi, who was supported by Cosimo.]]

The series has a mixed record in depicting historical events. Many of the buildings, for instance the famous Florence Duomo, was shown, but the facade depicted was not built until the 19th century. The series takes liberty with some important historical facts, such as how characters, including Lorenzo, Giovanni, and Albizzi died, but in reality all of them died a natural death. Cosimo's wife probably was not as involved in politics as depicted, given that society was very patriarchal at this time, although she may have used some indirect influence. The Albizzi was shown as being against the type of art the Medici tried to promote and actively tried to stop work on the dome in the cathedral, but we know little about this.<ref>For more on the Medici family history and Florence's history, see: Hale, J. R. (2001). <i>Florence and the Medici</i> (New ed). London: Phoenix.</ref>

The family's rise during Cosimo's father's time is accurate, and they did influence who became pope through manipulation of cardinals. It is not clear, however, that Giovanni was against patronizing the arts. He simply may have been more focused on enriching his family and establishing the bank. He likely did influence who his sons would marry, but this was not unusual for the time and most families would often marry their children off due to the influence of the family patriarch. It is true, however, that Cosimo began the tradition of patronizing the arts and architecture that the Medici family became known for in the Italian Renaissance. Indeed, Cosimo was one of the most important figures in the early parts of this period.<ref>See Kent 2006</ref>