Italian Noble and Princely Families 1: June 2004 - July 2007
 

Are there any people who are of the House of Medici? If so, are there any pictures of them?

i think the house of medici became extinct lots of centuries ago...

That may not be true, because de' Medici family did have illegitimate children so de' Medici family line could still exist.

but i would not say it has the same name...

Actually, I read that, in the 18th century, the last direct medici descendant died, as she was a woman who had bore no children.

this lady did a wonderful thing for florence before she died. she left all the medici art to florence which prevented the new dynasty(habsburg) from claiming it as private property.

Here is some information about Alessandro de' Medici, who is fathered by Giulio de' Medici a.k.a. Pope Clement VII.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/sh...ous/medici.html

"The de' Medici family, which governed the City of Florence from the 15th century to 1737, will have no more secrets since a scientific analysis that will reconstruct the life style, the illnesses and real family tree of the 50 members of this family of bankers, whose most famous exponent is Lorenzo the Magnificent.
In June 2004, the first bodies buried in the monumental tombs of the Medicean Chapel of the Church of San Lorenzo, designed and realized by Michelangelo Buonarroti, will be disinterred. This operation should bring on the examination of the remains of the 50 bodies in a couple of years and it is in the ambit of the "Medici" project, coordinated by the Universities of Florence and Pisa and the Florentine Museum Pole Special Superintendence.
The most well-known Medicis, such as Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449-1492) and Cosimo the Elder (1389-1464), founder of the Medici political dynasty, will not be exhumed as they rest beneath beautiful Michelangelo tombstones too fragile to move".

I take this from a history magazine. I suppose the project has started yet. The magazine included an article signed by Lorenzo de Medici, it was said that he was the 13 descendant of Lorenzo the Magnificent, but I dont know more about him.

I think that only are two descendants Lorenzo and his brother Carlo. Lorenzo lives in Barcelona. They doesn't have children. Lorenzo divorced a twice and he have a degree in Economy, he maneges is familiar fortune and his own licensing company.
This his an spanish interview with him
http://www.el-mundo.es/magazine/2002...037985130.html

well, in fact they didn't govern it. they were just powerful people in florence and owned the most important buildings in florence.

"They became rich because of their ability in commerce and trade. In 1433-1434 “Cosimo de Medici” fought ,by common people side, the rich oligarchy dominating Florence. After that he was the triumphing and well-liked Lord of Florence. The public opinion put Florence in his hands because he was able to take wise decisions for the city and to govern in peace. Cosimo signed many peace treaties with the most important Lordships in Italy to ensure a period of quiet and stillness. During this period art and culture were incremented by the Duke that loved to be surrounded by the most famous artists of the period. After Cosimo, Piero de Medici became Lord and after him Lorenzo “il Magnifico” governed the city. Many times the opposite families tried to drive the Medici out from the city but this never happened for many years. Piero, succeeding Lorenzo, was not so able to govern Florence and because of wrong decisions he was driven out . The Florentine Republic was founded ( 1494-1530 ).
The Republic finished when the Emperor Carlo V came in Italy restoring the Medici Leadership. Many poets and artists lived in Florence during this years, many libraries were built and a lot of Literature Academies grew. The following Medici Lords governed Florence until 1737 when Tuscany was annexed to the Lorena’s reign".

Florence History

Apparently, although they started as traders, they became Florence Lords.

In such matters, illegitimate lines do not matter.

That being the case .... would anybody complain if I changed my last name to "Medici" ?

Why settle for a name with no tangible perks? There is always the option of getting yourself adopted, and I believe in some european countries a husband may legally take his wife's name. Imagine the opportunities! ;)

well .... if the last person with the medici name died out .... how does one get adopted then?

The trick would be to find someone royal/titled/rich who is still ALIVE.......then endear yourself to him/her and proclaim that he/she is the parent you never had and then......wait, there ought to be a practical guide written for this. :P

that seems to work better with the nubile young lady and the cantankerous old grump, as opposed to the other way around. :P

It isn’t quite true that Hapsburg was the new dynasty in Tuscany. Habsburg and Medici both became extinct at about the same time. Tuscany was given to Francis of Lorraine, in exchange for Lorraine, which was given to Stanislaw Leszczynski of Poland for life, in compensation for Poland, which was returned to his rival, Friedrich August of Saxony. Francis of Lorraine was married to the Habsburg heiress and their descendants inherited Austria, Hungary, and Tuscany. So, it was the House of Lorraine that reigned in Tuscany after the extinction of Medici and Habsburg.

Polfoto 11-01-2005 ** FILE ** Italian Prince Alessandro Ruspoli is seen in this undated file photo taken in Rome. Ruspoli, a member of one of Rome's most important noble families who was known for his jet-setting in the ``Dolce Vita'' years from Capri to Brazil, died in a clinic in Rome, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2005. He was 80.

Princess Ruspoli attends the Heart Of Children Benefit Gala at the Protomoteca Terrace at the Capitole on June 8, 2005 in Rome,