Map of Italy showing where the Medici arms are recorded
The Medici arms were recorded in Venice, c. 1653.
Venice ran on trade, and its great families were merchants before they were anything else. The city kept a formal list of its noble houses, and a name on that list carried arms as a matter of record.
This is where the arms were entered in the register. Families often moved to other parts of the country, so the same name can turn up in more than one region.
The body that granted and recorded arms in Italy in this period.
Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy
Sovereign of the period
Charles Emmanuel II of Savoy
1638–1675
Reigning in Italy when the Medici arms are first recorded.
How Arms Worked in Italy
In the Italian states, coats of arms were often used by noble families to show their status and history. These symbols were passed down through the generations to all legitimate male descendants. Younger branches of a family usually kept the original design but sometimes added small changes to distinguish their specific line from the main branch.
Granting authority
Various local rulers and city governments controlled the use of coats of arms across the different Italian states.
How they got arms
Families often assumed their own arms or received them as official grants from local lords, popes, or city councils.
Where arms were recorded
Arms were recorded in local city archives or private family books rather than in one single national register.
The family's standing
Recorded among the armigerous families of Venice.
Origin & History of the Medici Family in Italy
The history of the Medici name is deeply rooted in the practical world of trade and medicine. While the most famous branch of the family rose to power in Florence, historical records confirm that members of the family were established in Venice by 1653. The name itself is derived from the Italian word "medico," which means doctor or physician. This suggests that the earliest ancestors of the family likely worked as healers or apothecaries. Over time, the family moved away from these humble beginnings in the medical arts to become influential figures in banking, politics, and the arts. Their presence in major Italian cities like Venice highlights how the family expanded their reach across the peninsula through commerce and social connections.
Medici Meaning & Related Branches
Root word
medicus
Latin term meaning a physician, healer, or medical practitioner.
This name
MediciDerived from the plural of the occupational title for doctors or apothecaries.
also spelled
Medice
Medic
Medicie
Medichi
Documented Sources
J. B. Rietstap, Armorial Général, Gouda: G. B. van Goor Zonen, 1884–87
Kent, F. W., Lorenzo de' Medici and the Art of Magnificence, 2004
Parks, George B., The English Traveler to Italy: The Middle Ages (to 1525), 1954
Archivio di Stato di Venezia, Senato, Dispacci degli ambasciatori, 1653
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mulletThe third son, and a divine quality from above
mulletThe third son, and a divine quality from above
