Medici Popes

Two cousins, raised as brothers, are the only ones left to replenish the Medici power.
Florence in 1501 was a city where an Artistic Revolution was about to take place.
A 30-foot block of marble stood untouched for thirty-five years until Michelangelo Buonarroti started to sculpt.
Michelangelo had been adopted by the Medici and had lived with them. They had shown him the artistic achievements before him. All of this art represented their patronage and their control over the city of Florence.
A civil war broke out in the streets of Florence and all representations of the Medici line were gone. All of the surviving Medici were exiled. Michelangelo stayed.
Julio Medici and Lorenzo Medici became acquainted with the Church but had to stay out of the city if they wanted to live. The roamed Italy in search of people who could bring their family back to power.
On the 25th of January 1504 Michelangelo presented his magnificent sculpture, the David. It was made to be put on top of the cathedral but was deemed too amazing to be put on top of a building and was placed in front of the town hall.
Giulio Medici and his cousin, Giovanni made their way to Tuscany to ask for help from the Pope. He was sympathetic to their cause as he also came from a powerful family.
The artists of Florence were beginning to steal corpses from hospitals for their works.
Leonardo da Vinci meticulously examined the human body, not leaving any aspect out.  
Leonardo and Michelangelo were each given a wall of the Florentine cathedral to decorate with frescoes and their own work.
Tuscany warriors were on their way to storm the city, tailed by the Medici cousins.
The soldiers reached a town just outside of Florence. In the name of Medici, they razed the town and all of the inhabitants.
The Medici had won control of their original city through bloodshed but the people of the city were not loyal to them.
Pope Julius died and the cardinals had to elect a new Pope.
Giovanni was elected Pope Leo X. This marked the first time a Pope came from Florence.
Michelangelo had been commanded to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. He hated every moment of it and thought it was all a great conspiracy against him.
A small group of Michelangelo's assistants working in secret to help him with his frescoes.
He covered the ceiling with 300+ images taken from the Bible.
Michelangelo was commissioned to sculpt Medici tombs out of marble.
Machiavelli wrote a book that claimed politics was devoid of all integrity.
Pope Leo X was warned of a conspiracy to kill him and he had those people exiled.
Pope Leo, in debt, turned to a type of payment only available to the Pope: Forgiveness Papers. He sold them to people who needed forgiveness from God and a freedom from an eternity in Hell. Pope Leo X was slowly getting himself out of debt to the Church.
Martin Luther was horrified with what was going on with the Catholic Church. He wrote his ideas down and how he wanted things to change. This paper was circulated across the entire Catholic world. No one had ever dared to speak against the Catholic Church in such a public way. Luther had sparked a Revolution.
Leo had condemned Luther to Hell through excommunication.
Luther would not repent for his sins and would not accept his excommunication.
In 1521 Pope Leo X finally died. His cousin, Giulio had to take on all of Leo's problems, including Martin Luther.
Pope Clement II was ready to attack Florence.
The last heir to the Medici line was held captive. Her name was Catherine the Medici. She was the niece of Pope Clement.
Pope Clement married her off to the son of a French King when she was 14.
Religious hate would infest France under Queen Catherine.
Michelangelo chose to paint the Last Judgement as his final work commissioned by the Medici.
Giulio Medici died and the terrible reign of the Medici Popes was over. The only blood relative left of the Medici line was Catherine.