In the Middle Ages, the merchant class and guilds of artisans controlled the city of Florence, which enabled it to restrict the power of the nobles and the greedy people. The Medici family lived for several centuries under this system without any significant influence, as they had modest origins as fishermen, but Giovanni de' Medici was able to create a modest fortune for this family through banking in the late fourteenth century. After the death of Giovanni, his son Cosimo took over the family business, and was able in a short time to transform the family into one of the most important banking families in Europe and became of great wealth. But despite Florence's republican system, there was another family that managed to dominate government positions in it over the years, which is called the Albizi family. Cosimo did not fight against them and gave them his silent support, as he preferred not to be present in the background of the political scene in florence. However, the rapidly growing wealth of the Medici threatened the predominance of Albizzi, so they used their government muscles to arrest Cosimo on charges of plotting to overthrow the Republic, and then they banished him from Florence.
He left the country quietly, knowing that sometimes one had to slow down. And over the following years, the Albizi family began to raise fears that they were forming a dictatorial government, and Cosimo was using his wealth to influence the Florentine affairs, until a civil war broke out in it and the rule of the Albizzi family fell. Cosimo returned to the country and regained his position, and because he was a clever and intelligent man, he did not make the same mistakes as the Albizi family, so he secretly used his wealth to buy influence among the important citizens and put his allies in high governmental positions where he chose them from the middle classes to hide their loyalty to him. Cosimo was working behind the scenes to gain power, while in public he presented an entirely different image, as he dressed modestly when he walked in the streets of Florence, he had only one servant, bowed respectfully to judges and elderly citizens, and rode a mule instead of a horse. Cosimo realized that appearing better than others or appearing with no faults or weakness is very dangerous, as this creates silent enemies who wish to destroy him and everything he has.
Bit to remember: Never appear too perfect.



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