The Medici family is the most notable noble dynasty related to weaving. Since the 15th century, even during the Church’s persecution of blood weaver’s as heretics, they have supported research and progress of the practice and the development of weaving techniques. Today, they are extremely influential within major weaving institutions thanks to their rich bloodline.

History

The Medici family rose to prominence in the 11th century during a brief renaissance of the blood arts. They were based in Florence, as they are today, where they offered the population to deal with the incarnations plaguing the region. However, in 1396, the Medici where exiled from Florence after a bishop accused them of tampering with the city’s water. The family then remained in their palace, until the Church tried to put them on trial for being blood weavers. They immediately fled to Corsica, from where they tried to maintain their influence in central Italy.

During the exile, the Medici head often sent envoys to the mainland to manage their business from afar, which was highly risky during the Church’s hunts for heretics.

The exile formally ended in 1802, but the Medici had already returned to their historic residence by 1490, when Mormo had left the Italian peninsula and the Church was extremely weak. From there on, they ruled over Florence and gradually expanded their influence to the surrounding territories. In this period, they began setting up arranged marriages to accumulate traditional techniques and enrich their bloodline. They clashed with the Church several times over political legitimacy, as the various popes still argued their heresy could not be tolerated.

In 1747 they became patrons for the Continental Academy, giving them a lot of influence on the school that they still maintain today. They did the same in 1835 with the Rockhill Foundation, which would then become the Weaving Association.

In 1802, they signed the Pax Florentiae (Peace of Florence), a document where the Medici, on behalf of weavers, and the State of the Church agree to conditions of cooperation and coexistence. The document detailed the first regulations on blood weaving in Europe since the Roman period. Weavers could not practice their arts in public places, and crimes committed with weaving were punishable by death. The Church also agreed to leave Florence and the nearby territories in the domain of the Medici.