Bernardo Antonio de' Medici (1476 – 1552) was an Italian bishop and diplomat. He was considered one of the leading ambassadors of

Cosimo I de' Medici Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second Duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Life Rise to power Cosimo was born in Florence on 12 ...

. He was the son of Antonio de' Medici and Selvaggia di Felice del Beccuto. He was

bishop of Forlì A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

between 1528 and 1551, before being transferred to the diocese of Cassano on 23 October 1551. In 1537 Cosimo I gave him the delicate mission of getting confirmation of his right to the duchy (which had passed to him after Alessandro de' Medici's death) from Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. He was invited to France and Genoa the same year and in 1539 he became ambassador to Naples. In 1540 he was one of the founders of the Accademia Fiorentina. He was invited back to France in 1544-45 by

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

and in 1547-51 by Charles V. He was sent back to Tuscany by Charles in 1552 and died later that year.

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073447/http://www.archiviodistato.firenze.it/nuovosito/fileadmin/template/allegati_media/libri/ambasciatori/AMBASCIATORI_TOMO_I.pdf *http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bdmedicb.html 1476 births 1552 deaths Bishops of Forlì Bishops of Cassano Bernardo Antonio Diplomats from Florence 16th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops {{16C-Italy-RC-bishop-stub