Renaissance Florence’s often-violent political scene was dominated by rich mercantile families, the most famous being the Medici. Renaissance art historian Elaine Ruffolo traces the family’s influence on the political, economic, and cultural history of Florence from the rise of the dynasty led by Cosimo de Medici through the golden era under Lorenzo il Magnifico to the achievement of the family’s goal: the papal tiara. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)