Medici: Masters of Florence (2016) s01e01 Episode Script

1 I am here for all to see In my bones there's dignity I will fight them I can say that I can change the world But if you let me I will make my world stand tall Let me show you one last time Let me show you one last sign I can see it all Hmm.
Beautiful.
They command the Pope himself from Rome.
Why not? If the Pope owes you money.
Who's there? Stop it! You all know he was a tyrant! He ruined anyone that got in his way! Who's there--? Stop pretending! You know what he was! -You liar! Liar! -A monster! -You liar! -We can't grieve this man, we should celebrate! What the people of Florence owe Giovanni de' Medici, they could never repay in gold.
The Lord blessed his family with great wealth.
Yet he acted not from greed, but from conviction.
Conviction that wealth was not to be hoarded by the few, but used to provide for the many.
That power was not to be used to enrich the strong, but to raise up the weak.
Care for some wine? I think we could all use a glass.
Go drink elsewhere.
With pleasure.
As soon as you tell me what your friend here whispered in your ear.
It's none of your concern.
If it has to do with this family, Cosimo, it is very much my concern.
Father was murdered.
What? He always tasted the grapes on his morning walks.
Only, this time, they were painted with hemlock.
Marco had the surgeon study his liver to be sure.
- Do you know who did it? - Power breeds enemies.
You father had many.
None greater than Albizzi.
He's always hated us.
Not always.
-We must inform the Signoria.
-We must do nothing of the kind.
Did Father teach you nothing? Perception is power.
And we must appear powerful, now more than ever.
His murder demands justice, Cosimo.
Alerting his killer, will only make him harder to catch.
I will have justice.
Once I know who did it.
-I'm sorry to disturb you.
-You never disturb, Ugo.
What is it? This just arrived.
It's from Albizzi.
He wants to meet at the fulling mill.
Messer Medici.
Messer Medici.
Strange that you would ask to meet here.
This old mill is where it all started, isn't it? Where your father began his climb from peasant to monarch.
My father held no such title.
No, Giovanni de' Medici was far too clever to claim a title.
But everyone knows he ruled this so-called republic.
He lined the people's pockets and gave them a voice just loud enough to make them feel strong.
What is it you want, Rinaldo? -His position in the Signoria.
-Oh.
Replacement will be selected tomorrow.
And I expect it to be you.
If I am so fortunate to have my name drawn at random.
Random yet, remarkably, the restricted council is always seated with a name loyal to the Medici.
My family has had differences with yours.
But in matters of the Signoria at least, we had an understanding with your father.
He did not challenge the established order.
And you're here to ensure that I won't either.
Hmm.
I am my father's son.
It's not quite a "no" is it? You certainly are your father's son, Cosimo.
I fear you're even more your father than he was.
Know this, if you challenge us, your children will be back at this mill, selling filthy wool like your late father.
-Piero, are you quite all right? -I'm fine, Grandmother.
Then stop making a spectacle of yourself with those tears.
Your grandfather would want you to show strength.
- Where is my son? - He went out this morning.
- I asked, where is he? - He had a meeting, Mother.
Marco Bello's gone to find him.
Missing dinner.
His father's not been in the grave one day, and already he neglects his family.
Hmm.
Cosimo de' Medici, have you seen him? -I'm concerned about you, Cosimo.
-I'm fine.
You vanished for hours.
What happened this afternoon with Marco Bello and Lorenzo? Nothing of important.
There's always been a distance between us, Cosimo.
But I have been a good and loyal wife these many years.
And now you bear a heavy burden.
The weight of this family, this bank, this republic.
It would be enough to break another man.
If you would allow me, I could help to lessen it.
Where's your brother? He had an errand.
-Oh, God, Roberto! -He's early.
-No, he's late.
-Oh.
That means I'm late! Hey! Hey! -Hey! -Sorry! Sorry, Father.
-Sorry.
I was, uh-- -Is it new? Hmm? Your cloak.
Is it new? -Yes.
-Oh.
- Very nice.
May I see it? - Of course.
Whoa! Very fine.
My father would sell wool like this, but only to the wealthiest nobles.
-What? -No! No.
No, no, no, no! That will be all, Ugo.
What did you do that for? The Medici do not call attention to themselves with fancy dress.
-I have money.
Why not enjoy it? -You have my money.
Stand up! -You wanted to see us, Father? -Yes.
This is a letter from Rome.
The Pope has died.
The Curia will act swiftly to replace him.
-How does this concern us? -Pack your things.
You'll see.
-You spend hours studying the Duomo.
-Yes, Father.
Have you considered why the old Florentines built a cathedral so enormous no one could complete it? It was folly.
Their ambition exceeded their ability.
They knew it was impossible.
The cathedral is too grand, too glorious.
If they knew it could not be completed, why build it? Because they had dreams, Cosimo.
That God would produce future generations clever enough to realize those dreams.
That could be me, Father.
If I apply myself to my drawings.
It could be you.
But not with your drawings.
The dome will not be completed by an artist or an architect.
It will be completed by a man who can marshal the vast resources needed to accomplish the task.
A man of great wealth and power.
I know you fancy yourself an artist, Cosimo.
But I too have dreams.
For this family, for this city.
And when I die, it'll be up to my sons and their son's sons to realize those dreams.
Come back next time, I'll give you a real blessing! -Giovanni de' Medici.
-Admiral.
These are my sons, Cosimo and Lorenzo.
Lorenzo.
Your father has come up with a rather remarkable proposal, boys.
At present, Holy Mother Church is fatally divided.
There's a false pontiff in Avignon, another one in Naples.
With Pope Alexander dead, our hopes depend on a strong successor to purify and unite the Church.
You seek financing? -To buy votes, among the Curia in Rome.
-Bribery.
- I believe it's pronounced "lobbying".
-And your candidate? -Why me, of course! You're not seriously thinking of giving money to a, a pirate? No, no, no, a condottiero! - Not just that, but an ordained cardinal and voting member of the Curia.
He seeks to unite and purify by buying his way into the papacy? It is sometimes necessary to do some bad in order to achieve a much greater good.
What collateral do you offer? - None at all.
Now, I'm afraid if I fail, there's little hope of you recovering your investment, but if I succeed, the Medici become bankers to the Pope.
All the tithes and taxes that flow to the Curia from London to Tunisia would pass through our bank.
In a stroke, we would become the most successful bankers in Europe.
No one could call us usurers anymore, not if the Pope was our client.
What? Usurers! Usurers make money by charging interest to the desperate.
Our profit comes from trade and credit.
We give opportunity to those who otherwise would have none.
And never forget that.
All right.
You will go to Rome at once.
So will you.
- Me? - Yes.
Lorenzo is good at convincing people, not me.
Only one of you can lead the bank if I die.
- He wants to pit us against each other.
- Yes.
-No, we won't let him divide us, will we? -Never.
Today, with heavy hearts, we choose a successor for the late Giovanni de' Medici.
Oh, the suspense is killing me.
The successor to Giovanni de' Medici shall be Cosimo de' Medici! They're cheating.
You are cheating! You are cheating! You are cheating! You are cheating! My father understood that money should be used to allow all men to benefit from their toil.
Not just those born to rank and title.
That is the Florence he helped build.
He may be gone, but what he stood for, cannot be destroyed.
Message for the Signoria.
Visconti, Duke of Milan, has attacked Lucca.
- The city walls have fallen.
I call for immediate adjournment! - Adjourned! The important families must call for war, to protect our interests in Lucca.
But the merchants whose livelihood depends on trade, war is not in their best interest.
You will support us, Cosimo, just as your father did.
Or you'll find his seat needs filling again.
Father! -Is it true there will be war? -It is possible.
Piero was meant to go with you today, to see you take your father's seat in the Signoria.
It's time I started working with you.
Is there nothing else you dream of being, other than a banker? It's what Grandfather wished.
Is it not? He is your heir.
-I do not need to be reminded.
-But he is brilliant! He has a mind for books, not for the affairs of men.
At least give him a chance.
You were his age when you started learning from your father.
Piero is not me.
Welcome to Rome! The sooner we can leave this stinkhole, the better.
Twenty-three cardinals vote for the Pope.
We have three weeks to persuade 12 of them to elect me.
-But you're among the 23.
-You see? We already have one vote.
Cardinal Cossa! Are you entirely serious? Entirely.
As you are doubtless aware, Cardinal Cossa is highly qualified And fully ordained.
Cardinal Attavanti has my vote.
I see no reason to change it.
How many reasons does your Eminence need? You see, Your Eminence, we deeply believe in the candidacy of Cardinal Cossa.
And we are prepared to invest to see that the Church unites behind a strong people.
Not bad.
Not as good as me, of course.
-Hmm.
But not bad.
-You're an artist? -Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi.
-That's a mouthful.
I'm called Donatello.
-You're not from here, are you? -Florence.
-So am I.
Messer -Medici.
Medici? -Then you are a banker.
-I am I am here to learn.
A banker who wants to be an artist.
All right then, Medici.
Come with me.
-What is this place? -My workshop.
Bertolo! This is my new friend, Cosimo.
-Enchanted.
Have a cup.
-Thank you.
The wisdom of the ancient.
Salvaged from the streets.
This is why you came to Rome? It seems the only artists who have something to teach me died a thousand years ago.
See? - They have no clothes.
You are a banker, aren't you? Are we not made in God's image? By showing the beauty of man, do we not depict the beauty of God? You said you wanted to learn.
Come.
Start there.
I -I hope you didn't mind me staring.
-Why would I? -You were almost -Naked, hm.
I wasn't sure you'd noticed.
Your eyes didn't look down once.
What's your name? -Bianca.
-I'm Cosimo.
Cosimo.
Oh.
-Will I see you again? -I hope so.
I hope so too.
Come, brother, there's work to be done.
Myself, I'm inclined to favor Cardinal Colonna.
Your Eminence, permit a small donation towards-- - Go away! - Hey! Cardinal Torelli.
A moment of your time.
Holy Mother Church -Where are you going? -I have to go to work.
I thought you were an artist.
- I would very much like to be.
- Why? If you have a job, artists make no money.
There is more to life than money, you know.
Like what? Like beauty.
Like you.
Beauty doesn't matter without food in your stomach, clothes on your back, or a roof.
Where are you from? What did you do before this? I was a laundress.
I will be again when I leave this place.
Who do you think you are? Who do you think I am? Are you so depraved as to believe there is no honor or faith in Rome? Your Eminence, we were merely hoping to help guide-- I know precisely what you are hoping, Cardinal Cossa.
How dare you presume we are all as corrupt as yourself? I serve God.
And you? This usurer, with social pretentions.
Another time, perhaps.
How's it going with Cossa? Oh, so you remembered about that, did you? I'm sorry.
I know I haven't exactly been carrying my weight.
No.
You've done nothing.
And to answer your question, it isn't going particularly well.
We have five days left, and all we have done is depleted our funds.
Where have you been? You're far better at this than I am, Lorenzo.
Is that's supposed to be an excuse? I don't want to be a banker, you know that.
We don't have a choice.
Neither of us do.
-It's time for mass.
-Close the door.
I want a word.
We've understood some things about who murdered Father.
Such as? Whoever he was, he had a classical education.
Poisoning fruit was a trick used on Emperor Augustus.
His wife knew he had his food tasted, so she killed him by having the figs on the tree daubed with poison.
Hm.
Well, that certainly narrows the list.
Can I speak with you? Alone? You do know the Albizzi are rallying support for a vote in the Signoria to authorize war against Lucca.
His men are in the streets as we speak readying for battle.
The families need this war to preserve the revenue from the properties there.
Yes.
How will you vote? Father would have gone along to get along.
-He would have voted with them.
-You hold Father's seat now.
And if you oppose the war, then many others in the Signoria will vote with you.
And the families will be at war with us.
Now, Albizzi warned me against opposing them.
I Albizzi had a classical education.
And when he was a boy, he played in that vineyard many times.
I know.
If he killed our father, he did it for one reason: to weaken us.
And now you have a chance to weaken him.
If you do not take that, Cosimo, then you may not get another.
In nomine Patris, et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.
Amen.
Oremus.
Deus qui beatam Mariam semper Virginem Spiritus Sancti abitaculum odierna die in templo presentare voluisti praesta quaesumus ut eius intercessionem in templo gloriae tuea presentari mereamur.
Deus qui beatam Maria semper Virginem, Spiritus Sancti abitatuculum You must forgive my intrusion upon your devotions, my Lord.
You had me break the law by conducting an autopsy on your father.
And yet I notice that word of his poisoning has not spread.
Would I be correct in assuming that your Excellency prefers to keep this melancholy fact a secret? What's your point? My point is that someone does know what befell your lamented father.
Someone besides his murderer.
You know? For 100 Florins, my lips are sealed forever.
In nomine Patris, et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.
Amen.
- Father and his debts - Let's do something about it.
May I have a word? I went to the piazza, as instructed.
Di Cecco says 100 Florins is nothing to a man such as yourself.
Tomorrow he wants a thousand.
Frighten him.
-How long have you known me? -Eighteen years now.
You found me on the street.
I was bloodied and beaten.
You brought me into your home.
It has been my honor to serve you ever since.
You've done more than serve, Marco.
You've been like a brother.
Then you know you must trust me.
I've known men like the surgeon all my life, and I'm telling you: he will never go away.
Not until he's made to go away.
Frighten him, Marco.
Nothing more.
Bianca? -Will you betray us? -Please, just let me-- Bertolo is only 19.
Must he be put to death for sodomy? Must I? --Cosimo.
- I was afraid you'd left.
- Just for bread, that's all.
I don't want you to leave, ever again.
Do you understand? Cosimo, don't be silly.
You are the son of a banker.
And I am a laundress.
I am in love with you, Bianca.
-I am in love with you.
-As if that mattered.
One day, soon, I'm going to take you to meet my brother, and my father.
-You're a dreamer, Cosimo.
-That's exactly what I am.
--What is it? A letter from my father.
The Albizzi have been sowing bribes the other way.
-What? -We're nearly bankrupt.
It's a pity.
I could have helped.
-And I could have cleansed the Church.
-I've just spoken to Cardinal Mosca.
He's with us.
But how did you manage that? There's no money left to bribe him with.
the need to unite and purify the Church.
There, you see! Now, if we could get Orsini to switch, then Attavanti and the other three would follow.
We might as well wish for the sun to rise at night.
I don't know why we're here.
Orsini will never switch! He hates me! -You there! -Cardinal Orsini-- -You must leave here at once! -I am a member of the Curia.
Sadly, this is true, but they are not.
Go, or I will have you thrown out.
Guards! - Guards! - We're going.
We're leaving! -What is it, Claudio? -Your son Cosimo is in love.
With a With whom? A peasant.
A laundress, Messer.
- Sir calls us to the next ballot.
Thank you.
First ballot, nil.
Food.
Now, if we had gold, there's how you get it in.
I don't need gold.
I need paper.
What are you going to do? Something bad, in order to do something good.
Donatello? What happened? The Curia Guards shut us down.
-What for? -Charges of sodomy.
Someone reported us.
-Where is Bianca? -She's gone.
-What do you mean gone? -She said she was leaving.
Someplace you'd never find her.
She was scared, Cosimo.
She'll never come back.
You should feel proud.
- Lorenzo and I did this together.
- Yes.
But it was your idea to blackmail Orsini.
Your brother never would have dared.
-I didn't want him to tell you.
-He had to.
He knew in his heart you should lead the bank.
A case for war has been made.
Duke Visconti and his hired general Sforza, must be driven out of Lucca.
Signor Guadagni, call the question.
- Hear, hear.
Exception! Signor Albizzi.
Will you yield to Messer Medici? The Albizzi and the other noble families of Florence have provided for this city for centuries.
And war has been the instrument of their power, and they prosecute them endlessly.
-Your point, Messer Medici? -We're in the new age.
With a new generation of men, who understand a simple truth: that war is wrong.
-Is it all there? -Of course.
Then this will do.
For now.
These lofty paintings glorify war, but omit its stench.
A new world is here.
A world of business and trade.
A world where men are awarded for their ideas and initiative, a world where if you are born poor, it no longer means your children must remain poor! Your business is nothing but usury.
Which Holy Mother Church condemns.
Jews, not gentlemen, are usurers.
Gentlemen don't hold pens, we wield swords! And swords grow rusty if they are not used.
- I call a vote! No, no! --Order! Order! What is that? Albizzi carried the vote.
So there will be war.
With guns in Lucca, and without them in Florence.
-What of the surgeon, Di Cecco? -He's dead.
How? He was going to shout out.
I had no choice.
There is always a choice.
I made mine years ago.