ed laurels to the family fame, but to
have lived peacefully in the glamour of their father's renown. The
Cavaliere retired into private life in 1380, and his death, which
occurred in 1388, marked the establishment of Medicean domination in the
affairs of Florence.

The second of the "Grand" Medici was Giovanni, the son of Averardo
III.--called "Bicci"--and his first wife, Donna Giovanna de' Cavallini,
born in 1360. He was just twenty-eight years of age when his popular
relative, Cavaliere Salvestro de' Medici, died. His young manhood found
him in the very forefront of party strife, and from the first he held
unswervingly with the Guelphs.

Married, in 1384, to Donna Piccarda, daughter of Messer Odoardo de'
Bueri, he was the father of four sons--Antonio, Damiano, Cosimo, and
Lorenzo--the two former died in childhood. The choice of names for two
of the boys is significant of the value Messer Giovanni placed upon his
family's origin--Saints Damiano and Cosimo, of course, were patrons of
doctors and apothecaries. Hence he was not ashamed of the golden
pillules of his armorial bearings!

Messer Giovanni developed extraordinary strength of character; he was a
born ruler of men, and a passionate patriot. He gained the goodwill of
his fellow-citizens by his unselfishness and generosity--truly not too
common in the bearing of men of his time. He served the office of Prior
in 1402, 1408, 1411; he was ambassador to Naples in 1406, and to Pope
Alessandro V. in 1409; and, in 1407, he held the lucrative post of
Podesta of Pistoja.

In 1421 Messer Giovanni de' Medici was elected _Gonfaloniere di
Giustizia_, as the representative of the middle classes, and in
opposition to Messeri Rinaldo degli Albizzi and Niccolo da Uzzano, the
Ghibelline nominees. The Republic sighed for peace, the crafts for
quietness; but the immense liabilities incurred by many costly military
enterprises had to be met. Messer Giovanni proposed, in 1427, a tax
which should not weigh too heavily upon anybody. Each citizen who was
possessed of a capital of one hundred gold florins, or more, was mulcted
in a payment to the State of half a gold florin (ten shillings _circa_).
This tax, which was called "_Il Catasto_" was unanimously accepted--"it
pleased the common people greatly." Messer Giovanni was taxed as heavily
as anyone, namely, three hundred gold florins--indicative, incidentally,
of his wealth and honesty.

Giovanni associated with himself another prom