The Medici Orient

The Sultan and his Orient held a powerful allure for the Florentines, who were captivated by the cultural differences and the vast commercial opportunities offered by the Ottoman world. Where, then, did Florence stand—caught between a desire to position itself as the guardian of Christendom—and thus firmly opposed to the surging tide of the Janissaries—and a natural attraction to a wealthy, refined land? What impact did the "City of the Lily’s" relationship with the "Grand Turk" have on fifteenth-century Europe?

This book sheds light on the ties Florence maintained with the Eastern world—both Christian and Muslim—throughout the fifteenth century, from the rise of Cosimo in 1434 to the death of his grandson Lorenzo in 1492. Tracing a chronological arc and the shifting fortunes of cultural and diplomatic relations—alongside a deepening, more direct understanding—Florence appears by turns as a bulwark for Eastern Christians threatened by the expansion of Mehmed II’s empire, as a welcoming haven open to Greek learning, and finally as an ally to that powerful ruler, whose formidable might was acknowledged across Europe.