Italian noble family that produced three popes (Leo X, Clement VII, and Leo XI) and two queens of France (Catherine de Médicis and Marie de Médicis). Cosimo "the Elder" (1389-1464) was the first of the family to rule Florence. Lorenzo "the Magnificent" (1449-1492) was an outstanding patron of learning and the arts, whose clients included Michelangelo and Botticelli.