The Medici family bank was founded even before the Banco di San Giorgio, in 1397, and it collapsed in 1494. But the family's lasting creation may be the myth of itself. The Medici were not just brilliant, wealthy, ruthless and powerful; they were a seriously dysfunctional family. This may explain why they offer such rich material for historians and novelists. (See especially April Blood, an account by the historian Lauro Martines of the plot, led by the Pazzi family but involving many others, including the king of Naples and Pope Sixtus IV, to wipe out the Medici family in 1478.)
美第奇家族银行始建于1397年，甚至比圣乔治银行的创立还要早，1494年倒闭。但家族永恒的作品是它本身的神话。美第奇家族成员不只是聪明、有钱、冷酷、势力强大，而且是个功能严重紊乱的家族。这就可以解释，为什么他们为历史学家和小说家提供了如此丰富的材料。（尤其要看看历史学家劳洛•马丁内斯(Lauro Martines)写的《April Blood》(四月之血)一书。此书讲述了一个在1478年策划的一起消灭美第奇家族的阴谋，由帕齐(Pazzi)家族牵头，但还涉及其他许多人，包括那不勒斯国王和西克斯图斯四世教皇。）