'Medici' Season 3: What happened to Medici family after Lorenzo's death and where are the descendants now?
In Big Light Productions' drama series 'Medici', some of the greatest achievements of two of the most celebrated men of the Medici family are shown. The first season chronicled the life of Cosimo de' Medici (Richard Madden) while Seasons 2 and 3 follows the life of Lorenzo de' Medici who was also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (Daniel Sharman).
Season 3, which is now streaming on Netflix, also serves as the last season for the show — Lorenzo was, after all, the last great Medici. While his descendants did manage to make history, none of them achieved the greatness that Lorenzo did. It would be hard to top the achievements of a man who after all served as a patron to the great Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo, Sandro Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci.
After Lorenzo's death in 1492, the Medicis were driven out of Florence through the influence of Girolamo Savonarola and King Charles VIII of France. By then, the Medici family had lost all support of the people of Florence, who were under Savonarola's guidance.
Later, in 1512, the Medici family returned to Florence but were never again able to wield the power they once had. Lorenzo’s great-great-grandson Cosimo (1519-1574) became duke of Florence in 1537, then grand duke of Tuscany in 1569. As Cosimo I, he established absolute power in the region, and his descendants would rule as grand dukes into the 1700s. Lorenzo's great-granddaughter, Catherine de' Medici became the Queen Consort of France and her three sons went on to rule France.
Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici, who bore no children and died in 1743, was the last lineal descendant of the main branch of the House of Medici. However, there are descendants of the family. Among them is Prince Lorenzo de’ Medici, who oddly enough established a digital Medici bank last year.
More famous descendants of the Medici family would include the royal family of Britain. Princes William and Charles and Queen Elizabeth can trace their lineage to Cosimo de' Medici's (played by Richard Madden in Season 1 of 'Medici') younger brother, Lorenzo the Elder.
All episodes of Season 3 of 'Medici' are now streaming on Netflix.