Italy

The Roman Empire in the late second century CE, during the reign of Marcus Aurelius and the early reign of Commodus.

A period in which the Medici exercised decisive influence over the Florentine Republic without initially ruling as hereditary monarchs.

The Italian Renaissance, particularly its Florentine phase, formed the cultural and political setting of Medici power.

The final phase of the Roman Republic, marked by elite competition, political violence, civil wars, and the concentration of power in the hands of military leaders.

A series of conflicts involving France, Spain, the Papal States, and Italian states that shaped the later Medici restoration and political environment.

Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of Roman senators in the Theatre of Pompey on 15 March 44 BCE.

Civil war between the forces of Julius Caesar and Pompey from 49 to 45 BCE, followed by Caesar’s dictatorship.

A major fire devastated much of Rome in July 64 CE. Tacitus reports that Nero blamed Christians and subjected many to brutal punishments, making the event central to the historical memory of the Neronian persecution.

A conspiracy involving the Pazzi family and Medici opponents culminated in an attack on Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici in Florence on April 26, 1478.

The civil war following Caesar’s assassination, culminating in the defeat of Brutus and Cassius at Philippi in 42 BCE.

Roman Emperor (r. 180–192 CE).

Florentine banker and statesman who became the leading political figure in Florence after his return from exile in 1434.

Florentine banker and founder of the political fortunes of the senior Medici line.

Roman general and dictator whose rise accelerated the collapse of the republican political order.

Florentine ruler, diplomat, and patron of Renaissance culture, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent.

Roman Emperor (r. 161–180 CE).

Roman emperor from 54 to 68 CE whose reign forms the political setting for the story and whose government persecuted Christians in Rome after the Great Fire.

Last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt and a major participant in the final Roman republican conflicts.

Younger brother and political associate of Lorenzo de’ Medici, murdered during the Pazzi conspiracy in 1478.

Roman general and politician who became a leading Caesarian power-holder after 44 BCE.

Roman general and statesman who opposed Caesar during the civil war.

Pope whose political and territorial conflicts with the Medici contributed to the crisis surrounding the Pazzi conspiracy.

Capital of the Roman Empire.

The central city of the series and the seat of Medici influence during the Renaissance.

The major political and religious center of Judea and the setting for much of the film’s story.

The cosmopolitan Egyptian city where Hypatia taught and where the film’s religious and political conflicts unfold.

The Roman province containing Alexandria and the wider administrative and cultural setting of the story.

A leading Italian city-state involved in the balance of power and alliances affecting Florence.

A major Italian city-state connected with Cosimo de’ Medici’s period of exile and with inter-state diplomacy.