What is the Medici Granducal Archive?
The Medici Granducal Archive (Archivio Mediceo del Principato) includes approximately three million letters sent and received by members of the Medici family, their secretaries, courtiers, agents and correspondents between the years 1537 and 1743. These letters are divided into 6,429 bound volumes and are housed in the Archivio di Stato di Firenze in Florence, Italy. The Medici Granducal Archive is virtually complete, having suffered only minor losses over the centuries. In fact, it is the fullest surviving archive of any European ruling family from the early modern period. It is also a prime example of an organic archive since it largely retains its original scheme of organization, reflecting the social and administrative structures that produced it. About a third of the Medici Granducal Archive consists of diplomatic correspondence, including letters between the Medici regime and foreign governments. In addition, there are letters between the Medici administration in Florence and the
