Giovanni di Cosimo I de' Medici (29 September 1543 – 20 November 1562), also known as Giovanni de' Medici the Younger, was an Italian

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal most commonly refers to * Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of three species in the family Cardinalidae ***Northern cardinal, ''Cardinalis cardinalis'', the common cardinal of ...

Early years

He was born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, the second son of

Cosimo I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second and last duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first grand duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Cosimo I succeeded his cousin to the duchy. ...

, and Eleanor of Toledo. While his elder brother

Francesco Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...

went on to a political and military career, Giovanni had reserved for him the ecclesiastical career. He was the subject of two famous portraits by

Bronzino Agnolo di Cosimo (; 17 November 150323 November 1572), usually known as Bronzino ( ) or Agnolo Bronzino, was an Italians, Italian Mannerism, Mannerist painter from Florence. His sobriquet, ''Bronzino'', may refer to his relatively dark skin or r ...

, one as an infant and another of some years later, together with Eleonora of Toledo (although the subject of the latter has been identified also as Francesco or Garzia). Aged only sixteen, after having already been made

Archbishop of Pisa The Archdiocese of Pisa () is a Latin Church metropolitan see of the Catholic Church in Pisa, Italy.

, Giovanni was created cardinal of

Santa Maria in Domnica The Minor Basilica of St. Mary in Domnica alla Navicella (Basilica Minore di Santa Maria in Domnica alla Navicella), or simply Santa Maria in Domnica or Santa Maria alla Navicella, is a Roman Catholic basilica in Rome, Italy, dedicated to the Bless ...

, by

Pope Pius IV Pope Pius IV (; 31 March 1499 – 9 December 1565), born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565. Born in Milan, his family considered itself a b ...

in the consistory of 31 January 1560.

Death

Probably already suffering from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, Giovanni died in

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

two years after he was made a cardinal, from an attack of

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

. His mother and his brother Garzia died of the same illness a few days after him. Centuries after his death, a myth arose to the effect that Garzia had killed Giovanni, following a dispute in 1562. In turn, their father Cosimo was supposed to have killed Garzia in a rage with his own sword. However, exhumations in 1857 showed no signs of violence on the bodies and it was concluded that they had both died of malaria in 1562.Sommi Picenardi G., 1888: "Esumazione e ricognizione delle Ceneri dei Principi Medicei fatta nell'anno 1857. Processo verbale e note", ''Archivio Storico Italiano'', Serie V, Tomo I-II, M. Cellini &c., Firenze, in D. Lippi, 2006: "Illacrimate Sepolture - Curiosità e ricerca scientifica nella storia della riesumazione dei Medici", Firenz
(online)
Cosimo had another son in 1563 whom he also named Giovanni (he is best known as Don Giovanni de' Medici).

Ancestry

References

Sources

Catholic Hierarchy (David M. Cheney): Giovanni di Cosimo I de' Medici

* [http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/giovanni-de-medici_res-f226976e-dcde-11df-9ef0-d5ce3506d72e_(Dizionario-Biografico)/ ''Dizionario biografico degli italiani'', vol. 73, Roma, Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, 2009 (Paola Volpini): MEDICI, Giovanni de'] {{DEFAULTSORT:Medici, Giovanni 1543 births 1562 deaths Clergy from Florence House of Medici, Giovanni 16th-century Italian cardinals Roman Catholic archbishops of Pisa 16th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops Deaths from malaria Giovanni de' Medici (cardinal) Burials at San Lorenzo, Florence Nobility from the Republic of Florence Sons of dukes