From a side-street off the main piazza in Florence, Cosimo's father, Giovanni de'Medici, manages the up-and-coming Medici bank. In one shrewd move, Medici father and son gamble on a Papal election and win. The reward for their loyalty is the entire Papal bank account. On the back of this contract, the Medici bank expands across Europe, elevating the family to the Florentine elite.