was forced to leave paradise. Pilgrims
walk around the Ka!bah seven times.
They also touch or kiss the Black Stone.
The millions of pilgrims who visit
Mecca each year are important to the
city’s economy. Many city residents
work at jobs providing food, housing,
and other services to the pilgrims.
In ancient times Mecca lay on a major
trade route. Muhammad was born in the
city in about AD 570. He was forced to
leave in 622, but he returned in 630 and
took control of the city. He declared
Mecca a place of Muslim pilgrimage.
Mecca was part of the Turkish Ottoman
Empire for hundreds of years, from
1517 to 1918. A little later the city
became part of Saudi Arabia.
#More to explore
Islam • Muhammad • Pilgrimage
• Saudi Arabia
Medici Family
The Medici were a wealthy and powerful
family of Italian bankers and merchants.
Their power was at its height in
the 1400s and 1500s, when they ruled
the city of Florence, Italy. They eventually
ruled the surrounding region of
Tuscany, too.
The Medici held important positions in
Florence’s government. They also were
the bankers of the pope, the leader of
Roman Catholicism. Several popes came
from the Medici family. Two Medici
women—Catherine de Medicis and
Marie de Medicis—became queens of
France.
The Medici used their vast wealth to
keep their political power. They also
spent their money on architecture and
the arts. Some of the world’s greatest
buildings, statues, and paintings once
belonged to the Medici.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gather at
the Great Mosque in Mecca.
Several paintings by the famous artist Peter
Paul Rubens show events from the life of
Marie de Medicis. Marie was a member of
the Medici family who became queen of
France.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Medici Family 91
Cosimo de’ Medici
Born in 1389, Cosimo de’ Medici was
the first Medici to gain power in Florence.
He helped to bring the ideas of
ancient Greece to Florence. These Greek
ideas became popular and helped to fuel
the Renaissance, an important period for
the arts and sciences. Cosimo also collected
works by important artists,
including Donatello and Fra Angelico.
Cosimo died in 1464.
Lorenzo de’ Medici
Lorenzo de’ Medici was born in 1449.
As his power grew, he became known as
Lorenzo the Magnificent. Lorenzo’s
daughter married a son of Pope Innocent
VIII. (The son was born before
Innocent became a priest.) This marriage
gave the Medici almost complete
control over Florence and Rome.
Lorenzo founded an academy for artists
in Florence. He supported the artists
Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.
Lorenzo was also a poet. He added hundreds
of works to the family library.
Lorenzo died in 1492.
Pope Leo X
Lorenzo’s son Giovanni was born in
1475. In 1513 he was elected pope. He
took the name Leo X.
Pope Leo brought in artists and architects
to work on the Vatican Palace (the
pope’s home) and Saint Peter’s Basilica
(a huge church) in Rome. Among the
artists Leo hired were Raphael and
Michelangelo. Leo died in 1521.
The Last Medici
Over time the power of the Medici
weakened. In 1743 Cosimo de’ Medici’s
great-great-great-granddaughter, Anna
Maria Luisa, died. She was the last of
the family. Her will gave the Medici art
collection to Florence and Tuscany.
Many of the Medici treasures remain in
Florence for all to see.
#More to explore
Italy • Pope • Renaissance
Medicine
Medicine is the science of keeping
people healthy and healing the sick.
Humans have practiced forms of medicine
for thousands of years. Today specially
trained people called physicians, or
doctors, practice medicine.
Doctors
There are many parts to a doctor’s job.
Doctors first need to identify what is
Three children
of Catherine
de Medicis
and the French
king Henry II
also became
kings of
France—
Francis II,
Charles IX,
and Henry III.
Young children need frequent check-ups to
make sure that they are healthy and growing
well. Doctors who specialize in treating
children are called pediatricians.
92 Medicine BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
making a person sick. Then they decide
on a treatment. They also predict when
the patient will feel better. In addition,
doctors try to prevent illnesses. When
treating patients, doctors work with
many other people, including nurses,
therapists, and physician assistants.
Becoming a doctor involves years of
education and training. Medical students
first graduate from college. Then
they spend three to four years in medical
school. Students usually earn a Doctor
of Medicine degree in medical school.
After medical school, most graduates
enter a residency, which is a training
program usually in a hospital. During a
residency, experienced doctors train the
new doctors for three to seven years.
During this time, new doctors can specialize
in a particular type of medicine in
such areas as internal medicine or surgery.
Finally, new doctors must pass a
test to get a license to practice medicine.
History
The ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates is
considered the Father of Medicine. He
treated medicine as a science. He made
detailed observations of his patients and
thought that diseases had a physical
cause. Before that people had thought
