Giovanni de' Medici (cardinal)
Encyclopedia
Biography
He was born in FlorenceFlorence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, the second son of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Eleonora of Toledo. While his elder brother Francesco
Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany
Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany was the second Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1574 to 1587.- Biography :...
went on a political and military career, Giovanni had reserved for him the ecclesiastical career.
After having been Archbishop of Pisa, he was created cardinal in Santa Maria in Domnica
Santa Maria in Domnica
Santa Maria in Domnica — also known as Santa Maria alla Navicella — is a basilica church in Rome.-History:The church was built in ancient times, close to the Vigiles 5th cohort's barracks. The church was built no later than the 7th century...
by Pope Pius IV
Pope Pius IV
Pope Pius IV , born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was Pope from 1559 to 1565. He is notable for presiding over the culmination of the Council of Trent.-Biography:...
in the consistory of 31 January 1560, aged only seventeen.
Probably already suffering from tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
, Giovanni died two years later in Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, from a malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
attack. His mother and his brother Garzia de' Medici
Garzia de' Medici
Garzia de' Medici was the son of Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany and Eleonora di Toledo. He was the subject of a famous painting by Bronzino when he was an infant...
died of the same illness a few days later.
He was the subject of two famous portraits by Agnolo Bronzino, one as an infant and another
Portrait of Eleonora of Toledo
The Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo and Her Son is a painting by the Italian artist Agnolo di Cosimo, known as Bronzino, finished c. 1545. It is housed in the Uffizi Gallery of Florence, Italy and is considered one of the preeminent examples of Mannerist portraiture...
of some years later, together with Eleonora of Toledo (although the subject of the latter has been identified also as Francesco or Garzia).
His father Cosimo had another son in 1563, who was called with the same name (he is best known as Don Giovanni de' Medici
Don Giovanni de' Medici
thumb|left|Don Giovanni de' Medici.Don Giovanni de' Medici was an Italian military commander and diplomat....
).