Bernardo Antonio de' Medici (1476 – 1552) was an Italian bishop and diplomat. He was considered one of the leading ambassadors of

Cosimo I de' Medici 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. ...

. He was the son of Antonio de' Medici and Selvaggia di Felice del Beccuto. He was

bishop of Forlì A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...

between 1528 and 1551, before being transferred to the diocese of Cassano on 23 October 1551. In 1537 Cosimo I gave him the delicate mission of getting confirmation of his right to the duchy (which had passed to him after

Alessandro de' Medici Alessandro de' Medici (22 July 1510 – 6 January 1537), nicknamed "il Moro" due to his dark complexion, Duke of Penne and the first Duke of the Florentine Republic (from 1532), was ruler of Florence from 1530 to his death in 1537. The first Me ...

's death) from

Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

. He was invited to France and Genoa the same year and in 1539 he became ambassador to Naples. In 1540 he was one of the founders of the

Accademia Fiorentina The Accademia Fiorentina was a philosophical and literary learned academy established in Florence in the Republic of Florence during the Italian Renaissance. It was active from 1540 to 1783. History The Accademia Fiorentina was founded ...

. He was invited back to France in 1544-45 by Francis I and in 1547-51 by Charles V. He was sent back to Tuscany by Charles in 1552 and died later that year.

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073447/http://www.archiviodistato.firenze.it/nuovosito/fileadmin/template/allegati_media/libri/ambasciatori/AMBASCIATORI_TOMO_I.pdf *http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bdmedicb.html 1476 births 1552 deaths Bishops of Forlì Bishops of Cassano Bernardo Antonio Diplomats from Florence 16th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops {{16C-Italy-RC-bishop-stub