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→Historical Accuracy
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 natural deaths. 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>
Other facts are at least partially accurate, such as the exile of Cosimo, the decision to exile AbruzziAlbizzi, and the war with Milan shown. Venice was, in fact, where Cosimo did go into exile. Furthermore, this likely was the main reason why Cosimo was invited back to Florence, as Cosimo had withdrawn his banking activities from Florence, helping to enrich Venice as capital began to flow there. The slave Cosimo obtains as a gift from Venice, Maddalena, did exist and he did, in fact, father a son with her, who did later become an important priest supported by the Medici family despite being illegitimate.<ref>For more on Cosimo's family history, see: Ewart, K. D. (2006). <i>Cosimo De’ Medici</i>. New York: Cosimo Classics.</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>
