A younger branch of the Medici family,…

A younger branch of the Medici family, descendants of the Lorenzo who had been the brother of Cosimo the Elder, had come forwardfollowing the assassination of Alessandro de' Medici in 1537.

Cosimo de' Medici, great-great-grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent, had become duke of Florence and reigns as Cosimo I, inaugurating a renewed era of growth and prosperity for the city’s Jews, with restored Medici favor and protection.