MEDICIS, John de, on account of his bravery and knowledge in military affairs, was furnished the Invincible. He was the son of John, otherwise called Jourdain, de Medicis. His only son Cosmo I. styled the Great, was chosen duke of Florence after the murder of Alexander de Medicis, A. D. 1537. He first carried arms under Laurence de Medicis against the duke of Urbino, afterwards under Pope Leo X. Upon the death of Leo, he entered into the service of Francis I. which he quitted to follow the fortune of Francis Sforza duke of Milan. When Francis I. formed an alliance with the pope and the Venetians against the emperor, he returned to his service. He was wounded in the knee at Governolo, a small town in the Mantuan territory, by a musket ball; and being carried to Mantua, he died the 29th of November 1526, aged 28. Brantôme relates, that when his leg was to be cut off, and when he was informed that he needed some person to support him, "Proceed without fear (said he), I need nobody!" and he held the candle himself during the operation. This anecdote is also mentioned by Varchi. John de Medicis was above the middle stature, strong, and nervous. His soldiers, to express their affection for him and their concern for his loss, assumed a mourning dress and standards, which gave the name of the black band to the Tuscan troops whom he commanded.