Gli uomini del Duca. I segretari del giovane Cosimo I de' Medici

In 1537, when he was elected “capo e primario” of the Florentine Republic, Cosimo I de’ Medici was a 17-­year-­old boy almost lacking political experience. Nevertheless, he consolidated his rule in six years. According to Riguccio Galluzzi, the secretaries who had already served Duke Alessandro played a central role in this process. Based on extensive archival research, the article reconstructs the political background and the governmental activity of the most important secretaries who, also thanks to Maria Salviati’s approval, actively collaborated with Cosimo I since his election: Angelo Marzi, Francesco Campana, Ugolino Grifoni and Lelio Torelli. All these men had entered the Medici entourage (in Florence or in the Papal States) between the 1510s and the 1520s. Thus, their long experience certainly contributed to the success of the Medicean Principate in its early and troubled years.