Ferdinando fostered commerce and gained great wealth through the Medici banks, which were established in all the major cities of Europe.

He improved the harbour Cosimo I had built and diverted part of the flow of the Arno river into a canal called the Naviglio, which aided commerce between Florence and Pisa.

For the wedding of Ferdinando's niece Marie de' Medici to King Henry IV of France in 1600, his court sponsored a lavish performance of one of the first notable operas, Jacopo Peri's Euridice.

[citation needed] Henry showed no appreciation for these favours, and Ferdinando let the relationship cool, maintaining his cherished independence.

He supported Philip III of Spain in his campaign in Algeria and Rudolf II, Holy Roman Emperor in his against the Ottoman Empire.

Ferdinando sought to reconquer Cyprus for the Christians and had similar designs on the Holy Land, while also seeking commercial ties with Aleppo.

[5] A few months before his death, Ferdinando organised an expedition in 1608 under the command of Captain Robert Thornton to northern Brazil and the Amazon River in order to create a colony.