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For other uses, see Lorenzo de' Medici (disambiguation).
A portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici by Girolamo Macchietti.
A portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici by Girolamo Macchietti. Girolamo Macchietti (c1535/1541-1592 was an Italian painter active in Florence, working in a Mannerist style

Lorenzo de' Medici (January 1, 1449 – 9 April 1492) was an Italian statesman and de facto[1] ruler of the Florentine Republic during the Italian Renaissance. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Events 193 - Septimius Severus is proclaimed Roman Emperor by the army in Illyricum (in the Balkans) Florence ( Italian: Firenze Florentia and Fiorenza) is the Capital City of the Italian region of Tuscany The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 14th Known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (Lorenzo il Magnifico) by contemporary Florentines, he was a diplomat, politician, and patron of scholars, artists, and poets. His life coincided with the high point of the early Italian Renaissance; his death marked the end of the Golden Age of Florence. The fragile peace he helped maintain between the various Italian states collapsed with his death; and two years later the French invasion of 1494 began and led to nearly 400 years of foreign occupation of the Italian peninsula. The First Italian War ( 1494 – 95) sometimes referred to as the Italian War of 1494 or Charles VIII's Italian War, was the opening phase

Contents

Childhood

His grandfather, Cosimo de Medici, became the first of the Medici to combine running the bank with leading the Republic in both government and philanthropy, spending an enormous portion of his fortune (he was one of the wealthiest men in all of Europe) on art and public works. Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (September 27 1389 &ndash August 1 1464 was the first of the Medici political dynasty de facto rulers of The Medici Bank (1397 &ndash 1494 was the largest and most respected bank in Europe during the 15th century. Lorenzo's father, Pietro 'the Gouty' de' Medici, was also at the center of Florentine life, and extremely active as a patron and collector. Piero de' Medici (the Gouty, Italian Piero "il Gottoso" (1416 &ndash December 2 1469 was the de facto ruler of His mother Lucrezia Tornabuoni was also a dilettante poet and friend to figures like Luigi Pulci or Agnolo Poliziano. Luigi Pulci ( 15 August 1432 &ndash 1484 was an Italian Poet best known for his Morgante, an epic story of a giant who Angelo Ambrogini, best known as Poliziano ( July 14, 1454 &ndash September 24, 1494) was a Florentine Classical

He was considered the brightest of the five children. He was tutored by Gentile Becchi, a diplomat. He partook in jousting, hawking, hunting, and breeding horses for the palio, a horse race in Siena. Hunting is the practice of pursuing Animals for Food, Recreation, or Trade. See Fiat Palio for the car Palio is the name given in Italy to an annual athletic contest very often of a historical character His own horse was named Morello.

Piero sent Lorenzo on many important diplomatic missions when he was still a youth. These included trips to Rome to meet with the pope and other important religious and political figures.

Lorenzo and politics

Bust of Lorenzo de' Medici.
Bust of Lorenzo de' Medici.

Lorenzo, groomed for power, assumed a leading role in the state upon the death of his father in 1469, when Lorenzo was twenty. Lorenzo had little success in running the bank, and its assets contracted seriously during the course of his lifetime.

Lorenzo, like his father and grandfather, ruled Florence indirectly, through surrogates in the city councils, through threats, payoffs, strategic marriages - all the tools of despotism. Although Florence flourished under Lorenzo's rule, he effectively ruled as a despot and people had little freedom. It was inevitable that rival families should harbor resentments as to Medici dominance, and enemies of the Medici remained a factor in Florentine life long after Lorenzo's passing.

On Easter Sunday, April 26, 1478, in an incident called the Pazzi Conspiracy, a group including members of the Pazzi family, backed by the Archbishop of Pisa and his patron Pope Sixtus IV, attacked Lorenzo and his co-ruler brother Giuliano in the cathedral of Florence. Easter ( Greek: Πάσχα Pascha or Pasxa) is the most important religious feast in the Christian Liturgical year. Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. The Pazzi family were Tuscan nobles who were Bankers in Florence in the 14th century The Pazzi family were Tuscan nobles who were Bankers in Florence in the 14th century Pope Sixtus IV ( July 21, 1414 &ndash August 12, 1484) born Francesco Della Rovere, was Pope from 1471 to 1484 Giuliano de' Medici (1453&ndash April 26, 1478) was the second son of Piero de' Medici (the Gouty Lorenzo was stabbed but escaped; however the attackers managed to kill Giuliano. The conspiracy was brutally put down, with measures including the lynching of the archbishop.

In the aftermath of the Pazzi conspiracy and the punishment of the Pope's supporters, the Medici and Florence suffered from the wrath of the Pope. He seized all the Medici assets he could find, excommunicated Lorenzo and the entire government of Florence, and finally put the city under interdict. Excommunication is a religious Censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community In the Roman Catholic Church, the word interdict (in’tér-dikt usually refers to an Ecclesiastical penalty When that had little effect, the Pope formed a military alliance with King Ferdinand I of Naples, whose son, Alfonso, Duke of Calabria launched an invasion. Ferdinand I of Naples should not be confused with Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies, a latter king of Naples Alfonso II of Naples ( November 4, 1448 &ndash December 18, 1495) also called Alfonso II d'Aragon, though he was King of Naples

Lorenzo rallied the citizens. However, with little help being provided by traditional Medici allies in Bologna and Milan (the latter being convulsed by power struggles among the Sforza), the war dragged on, and only diplomacy by Lorenzo, who personally traveled to Naples, resolved the crisis. Bologna (boloɲa from Latin Bononia, Bulåggna in Bolognese dialect is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy Milan (Milano Milan (listen) is one of the largest cities in Italy, located in the plains of Lombardy. Sforza was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. Naples ( Napoli, Neapolitan: Nàpule) is a historic City in southern Italy, the Capital of the This enabled him to secure constitutional changes that enhanced his power.

Thereafter, Lorenzo, like his grandfather Cosimo de' Medici, pursued a policy of maintaining both peace and a balance of power between the northern Italian states and of keeping other states out of Italy. Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (September 27 1389 &ndash August 1 1464 was the first of the Medici political dynasty de facto rulers of

Lorenzo kept good relations with Mehmed II of the Ottoman Empire, as the trade with Ottomans was a major source of wealth for the Medicis. The Ottoman Empire (1299–1923 ( Old Ottoman Turkish: دولتْ علیّه عثمانیّه Devlet-i Âliye-yi Osmâniyye, Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish [2]

A. Pucci, Lorenzo de Medici and F. Sassetti.
A. Pucci, Lorenzo de Medici and F. Sassetti.

Lorenzo and the Renaissance

Lorenzo's court included artists such as Piero and Antonio del Pollaiuolo, Andrea del Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Michelangelo Buonarroti who were involved in the 15th century Renaissance. Piero del Pollaiolo (c 1443 &ndash 1496 also known as Piero Benci, was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Antonio del Pollaiolo ( January 17, 1429 /1433 &ndash February 4, 1498) also known as Antonio di Jacopo Pollaiuolo or Antonio Andrea del Verrocchio, born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, (c Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer Domenico Ghirlandaio (1449 &ndash January 11, 1494) was a renowned Florentine Renaissance painter a contemporary of Botticelli Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all The Renaissance (from French Renaissance, meaning "rebirth" Italian: Rinascimento, from re- "again" and nascere Although he did not commission many works himself, he helped them secure commissions from other patrons. Michelangelo lived with Lorenzo and his family for several years, dining at the family table and attending meetings of the Neo-Platonic Academy.

Lorenzo was an artist himself, writing poetry in his native Tuscan. The Tuscan Dialect ( dialetto toscano) or the Tuscan Language ( lingua toscana) is an Italian dialect spoken in In his poetry he celebrates life even while—particularly in his later works—acknowledging with melancholy the fragility and instability of the human condition. Love, feasts and light dominate his verse.

Cosimo had started the collection of books which became the Medici Library (also called the Laurentian Library) and Lorenzo expanded it. The Laurentian Library ( Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana) in Florence, Italy is famous as a repository of more than 11000 Manuscripts and 4500 Lorenzo's agents retrieved from the East large numbers of classical works, and he employed a large workshop to copy his books and disseminate their content across Europe. He supported the development of humanism through his circle of scholarly friends who studied Greek philosophers, and attempted to merge the ideas of Plato with Christianity; among this group were the philosophers Marsilio Ficino and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. Humanism is a broad category of ethical philosophies that affirm the dignity and worth of all people based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Biography Early life Birth and family Plato was born in Athens Greece Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Marsilio Ficino ( Latin name Marsilius Ficinus; October 19 1433 - October 1 1499) was one of the most influential humanist Count Giovanni Pico della Mirandola ( February 24, 1463 - November 17, 1494) was an Italian Renaissance Philosopher.

Later years

A posthumous portrait of Lorenzo by Giorgio Vasari
A posthumous portrait of Lorenzo by Giorgio Vasari

During his tenure, several branches of the family bank collapsed because of bad loans, and, in later years, he got into financial difficulties and resorted to mis-appropriating trust and state funds. Giorgio Vasari ( 30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian painter and Architect, who is today famous

Toward the end of Lorenzo's life, Florence came under the spell of Savonarola, who believed Christians had strayed too far into Greco-Roman culture. Girolamo Savonarola ( September 21, 1452 &ndash May 23, 1498) was an Italian Dominican priest and leader of Florence from Lorenzo played a role in bringing Savonarola to Florence.

Lorenzo de' Medici died during the night of April 8th/9th, 1492, at the long-time family villa of Careggi (Florentine reckoning considers days to begin at sunset, so his death date is the 9th in that reckoning). A villa was originally an Upper-class Country house, though since its origins in Roman times the idea and function of a villa has evolved considerably The Villa Medici at Careggi is a patrician villa in the hills near Florence, Tuscany, Italy. Savonarola visited Lorenzo on his death bed. Girolamo Savonarola ( September 21, 1452 &ndash May 23, 1498) was an Italian Dominican priest and leader of Florence from The rumor that Savonarola damned Lorenzo on his deathbed has been refuted by Roberto Ridolfi in his book, Vita di Girolamo Savonarola. Roberto Ridolfi or di Ridolfo ( November 18, 1531 – February 18, 1612) was an Italian and Florentine nobleman Letters written by witnesses to Lorenzo's death report Lorenzo died a consoled man, on account of the blessing Savonarola gave him. As Lorenzo died, the tower of the church of Santa Reparata was allegedly struck by lightning. Santa Reparata is the former Cathedral of Florence, Italy. Its name refers to Saint Reparata, an early virgin martyr who is the co- Patron He and his brother Giuliano are buried in a chapel designed by Michelangelo, the New Sacristy; it is located adjacent to the north transept of the Church of San Lorenzo and is reached by passing through the main Capella di Medici; the chapel is ornamented with famous sculptures, and some of the original working drawings of Michelangelo can still be distinguished on two of the walls. Giuliano de' Medici (1453&ndash April 26, 1478) was the second son of Piero de' Medici (the Gouty Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni Two biographies were published of him during his lifetime One of them by Giorgio Vasari, proposed that he was the pinnacle of all The Basilica di San Lorenzo ( Basilica of St Lawrence) is one of the largest churches of Florence, Italy, situated at the centre of the city’s The Basilica di San Lorenzo ( Basilica of St Lawrence) is one of the largest churches of Florence, Italy, situated at the centre of the city’s The Basilica di San Lorenzo ( Basilica of St Lawrence) is one of the largest churches of Florence, Italy, situated at the centre of the city’s

He died at the dawn of "the age of exploration"; Christopher Columbus would reach the "New World" only six months later. Christopher Columbus (1451 &ndash May 20 1506 was an Italian Navigator, colonizer With his death, the center of the Renaissance shifted from Florence to Rome, where it would remain for the next century and beyond.

Marriage and children

Lorenzo married twice. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS **************

Lorenzo first married Clarice Orsini by proxy on February 7, 1469. Clarice Orsini ( Rome, c 1453 &ndash Florence, 29 July 1487) was the daughter of Jacopo (Giacomo Orsini (see Orsini family) lord A proxy marriage is a Marriage in which either the bride or the groom is not physically present for the wedding Events 457 - Leo I becomes emperor of the Byzantine Empire. 1074 - Battle of Montesarchio in which the Prince She was a daughter of Giacomo Orsini, Lord of Monterotondo and Bracciano by his wife and cousin Maddalena Orsini. Monterotondo is a town and commune in the Province of Rome, central Italy. Bracciano is a small town in the Italian region of Lazio, 30 km northwest of Rome. They had nine children:

After Clarice's death, he married Philippina (Philippa) of Savoy, daughter of Philip II, Duke of Savoy. Philip II ( February 5 1438 &ndash November 7 1497) surnamed the Landless was the Duke of Savoy for the brief reign from The couple had no children.

Two of his sons later became powerful popes. His second son, Giovanni, became Pope Leo X, and his adopted son Giulio (who was the illegitimate son of his slain brother Giuliano) became Pope Clement VII. Pope Leo X, born Giovanni de' Medici (December 11 1475 – December 1 1521 was Pope from 1513 to his death Giuliano de' Medici (1453&ndash April 26, 1478) was the second son of Piero de' Medici (the Gouty For the Antipope (1378&ndash1394 see Antipope Clement VII. Pope Clement VII ( May 26, 1478 &ndash September

His first son and his political heir, Piero 'the Unfortunate', squandered his father's patrimony and brought down his father's dynasty in Florence. Piero de' Medici ( February 15, 1472 &ndash December 28, 1503) called Piero the Unfortunate, was the Gran maestro Another Medici, his brother Giovanni, restored it, but it was only made wholly secure again on the accession of a distant relative from a branch line of the family, Cosimo I de' Medici. Pope Leo X, born Giovanni de' Medici (December 11 1475 – December 1 1521 was Pope from 1513 to his death Cosimo I de' Medici (June 12 1519 &ndash April 21 1574 was Duke of Florence from 1537 to 1574 reigning as the first Grand

See also

Further reading

Historical novels

References

  1. ^ Kent, F. W. (2006). Lorenzo De' Medici and the Art of Magnificence. USA: JHU Press, 248. ISBN 0801886279.  
  2. ^ Inalcik, Halil (2000). The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600. London: Orion Publishing Group, 135. Orion Publishing Group Ltd is a UK -based Book Publisher. It is owned by Hachette Livre. ISBN 978-1-8421-2442-0.  

External links

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