Cosimo Concini (1570,

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

– 1604,

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

) was an Italian diplomat serving

Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany (; ) was an Italian monarchy located in Central Italy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1860, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In the 19th century the population ...

in 16th-century.

Biography

He was born in 1570, Florence to Giovan Battista Concini and Camilla d'Antonio Miniati. He had a successful ecclesiastical and diplomatic career, largely due to the influence of his father and grandfather, Bartolomeo Concini, both of whom had served as First Secretary to the Grand Dukes

Cosimo I Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second and last duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first grand duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Cosimo I succeeded his cousin to the duchy. ...

, Francesco I, and Ferdinando I of Tuscany. Cosimo first gained recognition at the Medici court after the death of Francesco I in 1587, for whom he composed a funeral oration. He was the only person to note Francesco's military help to Philipp II's invasion of Portugal. He then embraced an ecclesiastical career, obtaining the title of apostolic referendary under

Pope Clement VIII Pope Clement VIII (; ; 24 February 1536 – 3 March 1605), born Ippolito Aldobrandini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 January 1592 to his death in March 1605. Born in Fano, Papal States to a prominen ...

in 1588. Concini's diplomatic career took off on 17 November 1595, when he was named the Grand Duke's resident ambassador to the imperial court. This appointment was largely due to his father Giovan Battista's continued influence at the Medici court. While serving as ambassador, Cosimo mainly resided in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, where he met the Danish astronomer

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, ; 14 December 154624 October 1601), generally called Tycho for short, was a Danish astronomer of the Renaissance, known for his comprehensive and unprecedentedly accurate astronomical observations. He ...

. Brahe, who had planned to send his son to Tuscany for astronomical studies, asked Concini to help get a residence permit for his son in Florence. Although Concini tried his best with Ferdinando I and his secretary Belisario Vinta, the permit was refused because of Brahe's Protestant faith. However, Concini was still able to help Brahe by making it easier for him to correspond with

Galileo Galilei Galileo di Vincenzo Bonaiuti de' Galilei (15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642), commonly referred to as Galileo Galilei ( , , ) or mononymously as Galileo, was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as a poly ...

as his patron. In October 1601, Cosimo was relieved of his duties as ambassador to the imperial court and went back to Florence. On 12 October 1602, he was appointed ambassador to Spain. He reached

on 29 November and was greeted by Philip III on 14 December. Soon after arriving in Spain, Concini fell ill. His letters from 1603 reveal growing financial troubles, made worse by his declining health. Cosimo Concini passed away in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

in 1604.

Works

* ''Oratio Cosmi Concini ex comitibus Pennae habita in funere Francisci Medicis Magni Etruriae Ducis Romae in aede D. Joannis Florentinorum'' (1587)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Concini, Cosimo 16th-century Italian diplomats Concini family 1570 births 1604 deaths People from Florence Grand Duchy of Tuscany people