DNA studies prove Medici brothers died of disease, not poisoned

[guy]

 

Once again, modern DNA studies (see above) have clarified history. The latest results have helped clarify a 16th-century Renaissance controversy. 

The studies proved both Medici brothers — Giovanni (d. 1562) and Francesco (d. 1587) — died of malaria, not poisoning. A new ancient DNA analysis of their skeletal remains, published in iScience, extracted parasite DNA from rib samples taken from their tombs in the Medici Chapels in Florence. 

Giovanni carried a novel strain of Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite.

Francesco carried both P. falciparum and P. malariae, confirming he died from malaria rather than the long‑rumored poisoning by his rival brother, Cardinal Ferdinando de Medici.

Both brothers were prominent members of the Medici dynasty, the ruling family of Renaissance Florence, whose power shaped Italian politics, banking, and culture for centuries. Giovanni de’ Medici (1543–1562) was the teenage son of Duke Cosimo I, groomed for high office, while his older brother Francesco I de’ Medici (1541–1587) eventually became Grand Duke of Tuscany. Their deaths became legendary because they happened suddenly.

For generations, rumors suggested that the brothers were murdered rather than dying from illness. Giovanni’s death at nineteen was thought to be caused by poisoning or court intrigue, especially since his mother and younger brother died simultaneously. Francesco’s death was even more controversial: he and his Venetian wife, Bianca Cappello, died within hours of each other, fueling centuries of speculation that Francesco’s ambitious brother, Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici, poisoned them to gain power. These stories became part of the politically motivated Medici legends and were perpetuated by historians for 400 years.

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/medici-renaissance-murder-mystery-solved-b3006418.html?callback=in&code=ZJGZYZU5NTGTODQYMC0ZODMYLTG5NJGTMWUZYWM2ZGRJYTBL&state=947537500622478ca9c080907faae770

Edited yesterday at 12:34 AM by guy

[guidoLaMoto]

They draw a false conclusion....The only thing they can correctly say is that they were infected with Plasmodium sp  when they died. The fact that they found two or more sp points toward chronic &/or recurrent infections, very common in that region at that time. A fulminant course of malaria leading to rapid death within days of exposure is less common than a more indolent course resulting in anemia and eventual organ failure. (Cf- Quartan Fever)

https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/hcp/clinical-features/index.html