[[Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici]] (''[[circa|ca]].'' 1360–1429), anak [[Averardo de' Medici]] (1320–1363), melipatgandakan kekayaan keluarga Medici dengan mendirikan Bank Medici dan menjadi salah satuseorang oranghartawan terkaya di kota Firenze.<!-- Although he never held any political office, he gained strong popular support for the family through his support for the introduction of a [[proportional tax|proportional system of taxation]]. Giovanni's son [[Cosimo de' Medici|Cosimo the Elder]], {{lang|it|Pater Patriae}} (father of the country), took over in 1434 as [[gran maestro]] (the unofficial head of the Florentine Republic).<ref name=godfathers1>{{cite video|people=Bradley, Richard (executive producer)|date=2003|title=The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance (Part I)|medium=[[DVD]]|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] Home Video|url=https://www.pbs.org/empires/medici/}}</ref>
[[File:Cosimo Pater Patriae.jpg|thumb|left|Cosimo ''Pater patriae'', Uffizi Gallery, Florence]]
