Imodeli yenkampani yokubamba yanamhlanje, ibhanki yaseMedici yayiyinqaba apho izizukulwana ezihlanu zosapho lakwaMedici zasebenzisa ubomi bezopolitiko kwiRiphabliki yaseFlorentine kwaye zakhuthaza ezona ntyatyambo zibalaseleyo kwezobugcisa noncwadi ukusukela mandulo.
Izikhumbuzo zenkulungwane yeMedici eFlorence, ezinjengeefrescoes zikaFra Angelico zemonki yaseSan Marco okanye yeBotticelli Ukuzalwa kukaVenus , zezinye zezona zinto zixabisekileyo kuzo zonke izinto ezenziwe ngabantu. IPalazzo Medici eFlorence, eneendonga ezinkulu kunye neefestile ezivalelweyo, ijongeka ngathi iyakusinda kuhlaselo lomoya. Ubuso obubi, obukrelekrele bamadoda akwaMedici basijonga bevela kwiimbasa, kwimifanekiso eqingqiweyo nakwifrescoes. Bayimizekelo kusapho ngalunye lweshishini, nokuba yiRockefeller okanye iGates, ezixhasa emva kokungafi.
UTim Parks ngumbhali wenoveli waseBritane onedumela eliphambili. Uhlale iminyaka emininzi ngaphandle kweVerona emantla e-Itali. Ubhale ngothakazelelo malunga neklabhu yakhe yebhola ekhatywayo, uHellas Verona, kwaye ngoku ujolise kwimicimbi yegrafti.
Akenzi mabango kugcino-zincwadi. Iimakhishithi zakhe zokulinganisela zivela kuRaymond de Roover Ukunyuka kunye nokuhla kweBhanki yeMedici 1397-1494 , yapapashwa ngo-1963 kunye nomfanekiso weentlobo ezilahlekileyo ngoku zembali yaseMelika kunye nomzi mveliso. Umdla kaMnu. Parks kukungqubana kunye nokudibana kwemali, inkolo kunye namandla kwiRenaissance: utshintshiselwano oluluncedo phakathi kwe-metaphysics kunye nemali… kwindawo engacacanga yobugcisa. KuMnu Parks, imali yeebhanki ihlanganisa ipropathi, idilize ukwahlula-hlula kweklasi kunye nokuhlala, kujongela phantsi inkululeko, inyibilikise unaphakade kulo mzuzu. UMadonna uya esiba mhle ngakumbi, isifuba sakhe sijikeleze ngakumbi, intamo yakhe inde.
IMedici yayisele imiselwe kakuhle kwiRiphabliki yaseFlorentine xa uGiovanni di Bicci de ’Medici wenza imali yebhanki ngo-1397 nge-florin ezili-10 000. I-florin yayiyimali enkulu yegolide, ebizwa ngokuba sisixeko, eyaqala ukubhalwa ngenkulungwane ye-13 kwaye yayisetyenziselwa ezona zinto zinkulu zenziwayo. Ngomnyaka we-1410, uGiovanni di Bicci waba ngumgcini-bhanki komnye wabaphikisi bepapa ngelo xesha lesiphithiphithi, uGiovanni XXIII, eqokelela irhafu yakhe kwaye ehlawula amatyala akhe. Isebe laseRoma lebhanki, uMnu. Parks usixelela, ethubeni lalinenzuzo enkulu kangangokuba lalisebenza ngaphandle kwemali eyinkunzi.
KumaXesha Aphakathi kwiNgqobhoko, inzala kwimali yayisesisono esibulalayo, kwaye isenjalo kubuSilamsi banamhlanje. Inengqondo loo nto kubudala obungeboborhwebo, xa iimali mboleko zazikhutshelwa ngaphandle kwesidingo. Ngexesha likaMedici, oosomashishini kunye nabanye abaphembeleli becawe babezokufumana uhlobo lokubolekisa olunceda iintsapho ukuba ziqhube okanye zandise amashishini azo.
Kwisahluko esigqwesileyo, uMnu Parks ubonisa indlela amadoda afana noGiovanni anakholelwa ngayo kwisibambiso senzuzo kwaye ajikeleze, ubukhulu becala ngokuguqula inzala ibe yintlawulo yotshintshiselwano ngezezimali ezahlukeneyo zaseYurophu. Ngamanye amaxesha, kubonakala ngathi, iinzuzo zotshintshiselwano eziyinyani zaye zabhukishwa kwezona zinto zazibalulekile kwimali mboleko, into egxekwa ngabathile njengothengiselwano olomileyo okanye utshintsho olomileyo . Ngokwenyani, imfundiso yenzala yecawa inokuba ivuselele ubuchule obunje emva kwexesha eliphakathi njengebhili yotshintshiselwano, iinkampani ezidibeneyo, isitokhwe sebhanki kunye neinshurensi yaselwandle. Nangona kunjalo, kuyanceda ukuba usapho lube nokuyalela i-altare okanye ezimbini.
UGiovanni di Bicci, owacebisa usapho lwakhe ukuba lungahlali nabantu, wasweleka ngo-1429 kwaye waphumelela ebhankini nguCosimo di Giovanni de ’Medici, owenza okuchaseneyo. Phantsi kukaCosimo uMdala, njengoko wayesaziwa njalo, ibhanki yakhula yanda kakhulu, kunye namasebe aseRoma, eVenice, eAncona, ePisa, eMilan, eGeneva, eBruges naseLondon, kunye neearhente eLuebeck, Barcelona naseAntwerp. EFlorence uqobo, iifektri ezisetyenzisiweyo zeMedici zelaphu elenziwe ngesilika kunye noboya. YayinguCosimo owayexhasa ngezimali ukugqitywa kwedome yeFlorence Cathedral, wakha iPalazzo Medici kwaye wabuyisela isigodlo saseSan Marco. Wayenesisele semonki esakhelwe ukuzisebenzisela yena, enamagumbi amabini endaweni yelinye nangaphezulu komnyango, ekrolwe elityeni, imiqathango yenkunzi yenkomo yoPopu imkhulula ezonweni zakhe njengembuyekezo yokuphuma kwakhe kwiprojekthi. Andisoze ndikwazi ukunika uThixo ngokwaneleyo ukuba ndimhlalise ezincwadini zam njengomntu onetyala, utshilo. Inokuba uThixo ukhululekile.
Izityebi zesixeko sase-Italiya zaziphayone ngendlela entsha yemfazwe, apho abaphathi beenqwelo-mafutha banikezela ngamakrele abo kunye nemikhosi yabo kwelona bhaso liphezulu. Iimfazwe zabo ngenkulungwane ye-15 zazingazukisi kwaye zingabangeli mali, kodwa zazibiza kakhulu. Yayiyimfuno engapheliyo yemali yeRiphabliki yaseFlorentine eyaphakamisa iMedici ekubeni ngoosomashishini nje abadumileyo basekuhlaleni kwiinkosana zabarhwebi. UCosimo wayenobuchule ekusebenziseni umgaqo-siseko waseFlorentine, kwaye ekufeni kwakhe wabizwa ngegama, exelisa uMlawuli waseRoma u-Augustus, UYise welizwe lakhe okanye uYise weSizwe. Njengokuba umzukulwana wakhe uLorenzo wayezokubeka, eFlorence izinto zingahamba kakubi kwizityebi ukuba azihambi kurhulumente.
Unyana kaCosimo, uPiero the Gouty, uqhube umsebenzi webhanki iminyaka nje emihlanu; walandelwa nguLornzo-umphathi okrelekrele kunye nobuchule kwezopolitiko, kodwa engenabhanki. UCosimo wayelithanda ishishini kakhulu, wakhe wathi, [e] ven ukuba imali ingenziwa ngokujiwuzisa ilindle, ndingabe ndiyibhanki; U-Lorenzo, kwelinye icala, watshata inkosazana yaseRoma kwaye wayenomdla ngakumbi ekugunyaziseni amagcisa, ebhala iivesi ezingalunganga kwaye eqhuba nemicimbi yothando. Ubunzima bexesha lakudala-uyenza njani imali kwaye useza ezulwini? -Iba yileyelixesha langoku: Uyenza njani imali kwaye wonwabele ukutatathelwa izandla luluntu olugqwesileyo? (Okanye, kwibinzana elibuhlungu uMnu Parks kumele ukuba weva kwiindawo ezibukele iHellas Verona, umseze njani umfazi wakho kwaye i-keg igcwele?)
Ukusukela ngeminyaka yoo-1460, ishishini lokubhankisha laya ezantsi, lixhoba lolawulo olubuthathaka oluphakathi, ubungqingqwa besebe kunye nokuzenzisa kwamagunya. Abaphathi besebe, abanjengoGiovanni Tornabuoni kunye noTommaso Portinari, baba ngabaxhasi bezobugcisa abadumileyo ngokwabo. Ngomnyaka we-1466, iMedici, ngokubambisana nePapa, yazama ukubeka imarike ye-alum (eyona nto ibalulekileyo ngaloo mihla yokulungisa imibala edayiweyo); indlela yabo yayingumxube wokuxhatshazwa kwezorhwebo kunye nesoyikiso sesihogo nokugxothwa. Ngokuka Mnu Parks, oku akubanga yimpumelelo.
Ukusweleka kuka-1492 kuka-Lorenzo-oMagnificent, njengoko wayesaziwa njalo-kwalandelwa ngohlaselo lwama-French usingasiqithi wase-Italiya, ukubaleka kuka-Piero de ’Medici (obizwa ngokuba ngu-Fatuous) kunye nokuwa kwebhanki. Ngapha koko, ukusithwa kwelanga lusapho okwethutyana: Njengoko uCosimo uMdala wayexelele umemorist Vespasiano da Bisticci, Phambi kokuba kuphele iminyaka engamashumi amahlanu sizakukhutshwa, kodwa izakhiwo zam ziya kuhlala. AmaMedici abuyela eFlorence kwisizukulwana, kwaye ayeza kuvelisa abapapa abathathu kunye noKumkanikazi waseFransi.
Isiphelo sikaMnu. Parks sibonisa indlela ayifunde ngocoselelo ngayo iRiphabliki yaseFlorentine. Into esindayo ngexesha likaMedici eFlorence luhlobo olutsha loluntu apho ubomi boluntu buhlala buhlala buyekelela ekunyanisekeni, ukuba nje kungenxa yokuba isiseko samandla siyakuhlala sikrokrelwa, soloko sifuna umzamo ongagungqiyo wepropaganda ukubanga ukuba semthethweni kwayo. Ngamafutshane, lelo lizwe langoku, apho usindiso nenkululeko ziye zanyamalala-kodwa ngubani okhathalayo xa sinemali nolonwabo kunye nobugcisa?
UJames Buchan ngumbhali we Umnqweno oMileyo: Intsingiselo yeMali (Farrar, Straus kunye neGiroux).
