Category: season five

At the age of 52, Gian Gastone comes to power as the opposite of his uptight, moralistic father in almost every possible way. But even as the Medici family fades, could Tuscany’s future be getting brighter?

The vultures surround Tuscany as the Medici begin to die out. The only thing left for Cosimo III is to try to guarantee Tuscany’s independence in the future, even though most of the great powers of Europe are working against him.

ERRATA: In this episode I said that King Philip V of Spain and Elisabeth Farnese’s firstborn son was Carlos. What I overlooked was that Philip V had a wife before Elisabeth, Maria Luisa Gabriella of Savoy, and they had three sons, Luis, Felipe Pedro, and Fernando. This is important because I suggested wrongly that Carlos stood to inherit both the Spanish crown, the duchy of Parma, and Tuscany if he were made the eventual heir. While his older half-brothers would die and Carlos would become King Carlos III of Spain eventually, at the time Cosimo III was still alive he was a possibility to keep Tuscany independent (if also very likely a satellite of Spain). At least it is true that Cosimo III was still opposed to the possibility, preferring instead to let Anna Maria Luisa appoint her own successor. I apologize for the error!

The Medici family are approaching the brink of extinction. It’s up to Cosimo III’s three children to preserve the family, but even with the dynasty’s survival on the line, the Medici cannot stop themselves from repeating the mistakes of the recent past.

Cosimo and Marguerite-Louise’s dysfunctional marriage hits its dramatic crescendo and falls apart. Will Marguerite-Louise escape back to her homeland, or will she remain a prisoner of her despised husband?

Grand Duke Cosimo III sets out to make Tuscany great again with tariffs and religiosity. At the same time, Cosimo aims for royal glory, even at a time all of Italy is under the boot of the Hapsburgs.

Ferdinando II had high hopes that marrying his introverted, overly devout son to a French princess would both loosen his son up and save the dynasty from extinction. Things wouldn’t turn out quite like he wanted.

Despite his unorthodox love life, Ferdinando II is well-liked for his genuine concern for his people and his scientific patronage. However, Tuscany is in decline, and the seeds for the dynasty’s extinction have already been planted.

Cosimo II finally dies after a prolonged illness. Meanwhile, the Church loses its patience with Galileo.

Why was Galileo’s scientific work considered both something worth celebrating and a threat to the status quo? Galileo himself must have pondered that question as his work, celebrated as it was by the Medici and even high-ranking members of the Church, nonetheless caught the attention of the Roman Inquisition.

The celebrity natural philosopher and writer Galileo rises out of a life of near-poverty to become a favorite at the Medici court. But when controversy rears its head, will the Medici actually protect the quarrelsome Galileo?