Giovanni Corsi was born on February 5, 1600, and died on March 11, 1661. He was an Italian marquis, knight, patron, ambassador, and senator of Florence in 1637. He became the second Marquis of Caiazzo after inheriting the title following Bardo Corsi's death in 1624.

Life

Giovanni was born on February 5, 1600, in Florence to Jacopo Corsi and Laura Corsini. When his father died in 1602, Giovanni was adopted by his uncle, Bardo Corsi, who raised him as a son along with his brothers and sisters. Both Jacopo and Bardo were important people in Florence's cultural life at the end of the 16th century. Bardo gave Giovanni a high-quality education during the time when the Corsi family was very wealthy.

Giovanni studied at the Accademia Militare di Parma, where he learned about the Code of Chivalry and became a knight.

In 1624, he inherited the title of Marquis of Caiazzo (Marchese di Cajazzo) and his uncle's possessions, including the Tornabuoni Palace and Villa Corsi, because his uncle died without children.

Around 1628, when he was still young, he ordered a painting from the Casini brothers. The painting shows Giovanni in his youth, dressed in a luxurious Turkish-style costume next to a dog, likely a family pet.

Giovanni married Lucrezia Salviati in 1628. Their children were Count Antonio Corsi (born 1625) and Cardinal Domenico Maria Corsi (born 1633). Later, after Lucrezia's death, he married Virginia Vitelli in 1640. They had a daughter named Laura Corsi (born 1642).

Giovanni served as an ambassador for the Medici Dynasty in Milan, being one of the most respected representatives of the Corsi family in that role. In 1634, Ferdinando II de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, sent Giovanni as an ambassador to Milan to honor the new governor.

Three years later, in 1637, he was elected as a senator of Florence.

In 1645, he participated in a procession for Giovan Carlo de' Medici in Rome, shortly after the cardinal was appointed. In 1655, he was given an important role as an ambassador and main speaker in Rome for Pope Alexander VII. During this time, in 1655, Giovanni suffered a stroke, which left him unable to function until his death in 1661.

After his death, his daughter Laura, who married Giovanni Vincenzo Salviati, the Marquis of Bontieri and Boccheggiano, built a chapel in his honor.