Engaging with Texts and Arguments Renaissance Italy

Q. The Medici family were instrumental to the wealth and influence of Florence in
Renaissance Italy. Do you agree with this statement? Why/Why not?
KEY: [Noun] groups with describer/s, classifier/s, qualifiers, nominalisations,
modality, concession, objective evaluative language, text connectives, complex
sentence, expert voice/sources, glossing, text opener, sentence openers
Features of
structure
Whole
text

Paragrap
h

Position statement

Argument
s
1. Used
nobility to
influence
governme
nt

PEEL:
Point

Elaborat
e

Evidence
(research
)

Link

Text

Language
Features

Sentence and word level

The Medici family were crucial to the wealth and
influence of Renaissance Florence. The Medicis used
their nobility and social status to influence the
decisions of the Signoria (the governing body
of Florence). This status derived from the
profitable family banking [company], an
industry which the Medici family
revolutionised through the double-entry
system, and also the manufacture and trade
of woollen cloth. Moreover, Medici patronage
of talented artists and architects contributed
to the rapid European [expansion] of
humanist ideas and established Florence as
the cultural epicentre of the Renaissance.
These factors formed the basis of the
instrumental role played by the Medici family
in the dominance of Florence in Renaissance
Italy.

Text opener: informs the

field of the text and
position of discussion.
Glossing: to clarify
meaning
Extended [noun]
group: use of
describing and
classifying verbs.
Nominalisation: adds
technicality to writing
Extended [noun]
group: use of
describing, classifying
and qualifying verbs

The use of nobility and status was a major factor of

Medici power in Renaissance Florence. The
Medicis were a renowned family of high social
status in Florence, and cultivated a strong
presence among the governing powers of
Florence, the Signoria. Florence was a republic,
governed by an elected council. As one of the
wealthiest families in the city-state, the Medicis
were among the most prominent members
and could use this position to influence
officials. Cosimo de Medici in particular often
bribed other members of the Signoria to
facilitate his grand building programs, which
included Brunelleschis [dome] on the
Basilica San Marco. Many of these bribes
and persuasions were a direct result of the
power of nobility, status, and wealth of the
family. In spite of this power, the Medicis
were not without their enemies. According to
leading Renaissance historians, the rival Pazzi
family conspired against the Medicis and
murdered Lorenzo the Magnificents brother,
Giuliano. This consequently led to the swift
and violent retribution of Il Magnifico
against the Pazzis, which is critical in
determining how powerful and connected the

Sentence openers: help frame

idea of sentence and
progression of paragraph

Extended [noun]
group: classifying and
qualifying verbs
Expert voice/sources:
lends academic and
technical weight to
position.
Text connective:
(causal)
Objective evaluative
language: explicit,
critical

2.
Controlled
banking
and wool
trade

3.
Patronage
of culture
and the
arts

Medicis were in Renaissance Florence.

The commercial [presence] of the Medicis
provided them with the means to exert
influence over the Florentine population. The
wealth of the Medici family was defined by
their banking company, the Medici Bank. The
bank undoubtedly revolutionised the banking
industry with the advent of the double-entry
system, meaning there were records of debits
and credits and an early form of interest.
Although the bank later capitulated, its
establishment should be considered a
pioneering business move by the Medici
family. In addition, the manufacture and trade
of woollen cloth provided an extremely useful
means of generating profit, particularly due to
the emergence of more flamboyant clothing
worn by members of the popolo grasso. The
Medici Bank and wool industry enabled the
family to sustain their influence because of
the immense profit that the businesses
generated.

Modality: high,
undoubtedly
Modality: high,
should
Text connectives:
signpost
development of
argument
Objective evaluative
language: grading
Complex sentence:
one independent
clause and one
dependent clause.

Objective evaluative
language: grading
The patronage of culture and the arts led by
the Medici family acted as a resounding
catalyst for the expansion of Florences wealth
and influence. Renaissance Italy was defined
by advancements in the arts, particularly in
expressions of humanism in painting and
sculpture that payed homage to ancient
Greece and Rome. This shift from the
traditional religious elements of art and
architecture branched into literature, science
and technology, heralding a new age of
discovery and learning. Individuals such as
Cosimo and Lorenzo de Medici were
particularly vocal in their support of the arts
and humanist values. While the commercial
influence of the Medicis declined under
Lorenzo, his generous support and patronage
of the artists Botticelli and Michelangelo
continued the cultural expansion of Florence
and the Renaissance through grand artworks.
A fine example of this is Botticellis painting
The Adoration of the Magi which depicts
several generations of the Medici family,
including his patron Lorenzo. The patron
system must be considered the vehicle of the
decisive cultural [expansion] of Florence
that was driven by the Medicis.

Reinforcement of
position

Noun group:
describing verb

The Medici family had an unquestionable

impact on the wealth and influence of
Renaissance Florence. The reign of the
Medicis as the de facto rulers of the citystate was spread across a turbulent threehundred year [period] of time. It would be

Text connectives:
signpost
development of
argument

Concessive: the open

and close of the door,
acknowledge and
rebut other positions
Modality: high,
must
Expert voice/source:
a primary source
(painting) can also
reinforce a position
Extended [noun]
group: describing,
classifying and
qualifying verbs

Extended noun
group: use of
describing, classifying
and qualifying verbs

nave to believe that this period was free of

hardship, but overall Florence grew to become
the cultural epicentre of Renaissance Italy and
Europe as a result of Medici-led governance of
Florentine society. Nobility, wealth, industry,
and artistic patronage were the pillars upon
which the Medici family exerted profound
influence on the growth (and eventual
dominance) of Renaissance Florence.

Concessive
Subjective evaluative
language: implicit
Modality: medium,
would

Engaging with Texts and Arguments Deconstruction

Worksheet
Analytical framework: in pairs, deconstruct the model text by completing the chart

below. You must identify and briefly outline the three main arguments of the text. An example
has been provided to help you complete the chart.

The Medici family were

instrumental to the wealth and
influence of Florence in
Renaissance Italy. Do you agree
with this statement? Why/Why

Argument 1
Used nobility to
influence government
Argument 3

Argument 2

Support
The Medici family were a
power in Florence for over
three hundred years. Their
status as nobles in
Florentine society, as well as
their position in the Signoria
(governing body of Florence)
enabled them to exercise

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