Statue Cosimo I de' Medici - Pisa

This statue is located in Piazza dei Cavalieri.

Cosimo I de' Medici the Great (Florence, June 11 or 12, 1519 - Villa medicea di Castello near Florence, April 21, 1574) became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1569 thanks to Pope Pius V and ruled from 1537 to 1574, at the end of the renaissance.

On January 10, 1537, Cosimo was named capo e primario del governo della città e del dominio. His prestige grew after the victory of his army against an army of Florentine exiles led by Filippo and Piero Strozzi, supported by the Pope and the French king. After this victory he was given the hereditary title of Duke of Florence by Emperor Charles V and he was given the daughter of the Vice-King of Naples as a bride. He managed to establish his authority over the institutions of the republic. He promoted the creation of the Florentine navy, built the port of Livorno, and extended Florence's power over almost all of Tuscany. In 1548 he took control of the island of Elba. After a two-year war, with the Battle of Marciano and an eight-month siege, Siena surrendered in 1555.

Cosimo was a lover of the printing press.

Willem Vandenameele