The Medici’s quiet coup: How the wealthy bend politics without shifting institutions

The Medici family ruled Florence for nearly 300 years, patronising the arts and making Florence a cultural centre of Europe. But there was a dark side to Medici rule. This column studies the circumstances under which a relatively open political system can be corrupted by its confrontation with concentrated wealth. Without formally changing the constitutional architecture of the political system, the Medici machine manipulated its institutions and allowed political officials to appropriate public funds, transforming office holding from a civic duty to a source of individual wealth accumulation.