Lorenzo de' Medici: Background information when reading The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence

Lorenzo de' Medici

This article relates to The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence

One of the main characters in Alyssa Palombo's novel, The Most Beautiful Girl in Florence, is a fictional representation of Lorenzo de' Medici (1449-1492), one of the de facto rulers of the Republic of Florence during the height of the Italian Renaissance.

The illustrious de' Medici family was prominent in the banking industry, with their institution becoming the largest bank in Europe during the 15th century. Lorenzo's grandfather Cosimo (1389-1464) was the first to combine the family's financial wealth with political influence, gradually establishing his family's prominence in Florence through bribes, threats and marriages of political convenience. Cosimo's son Piero (1416-1469) inherited the family businesses, but it was Piero's son Lorenzo who truly ruled the Republic.

Lorenzo — also known as Il Magnifico ("The Magnificent") — was not yet 20 years old when his father died, but he had been the favorite of grandfather Cosimo and had consequently been groomed to become head of the family concerns from an early age. Known as a "benevolent tyrant," he effectively reigned as a despot. Under his direction, again through graft and coercion, Florence's council enacted many seemingly minor changes to the communal constitution that did, in fact, give him significantly more power. For example, he maintained the municipal court system but deprived it of autonomy; it became a rubber stamp for his will.

Although ruthless politicians, both Cosimo and Lorenzo were patrons of the arts who are credited with being instrumental to the birth of the Italian Renaissance. Cosimo commissioned many works of art such as Donatello's David and Judith and Holofernes, both of which can be seen in Florence today. Lorenzo continued to support poets and artists throughout his lifetime; although he personally commissioned far fewer works than his grandfather, he actively sought commissions from his wealthy friends for artists such as Botticelli and Michelangelo, whom he deemed worthy of support. Lorenzo's palazzo was a constant gathering place for Florence's intelligentsia, the place to go for discussions of prose, poetry and politics. He also continued expanding Cosimo's library, adding manuscripts and hiring scribes to make copies of books he considered important to preserve. After Lorenzo's death the collection was moved to the Laurentian Library in Florence, an impressive structure designed by Michelangelo and expanded over the centuries. It now holds more than 11,000 manuscripts and 4,500 early printed books.

The Medici wealth and heavy-handed political involvement caused resentment among the other powerful banking families, in particular the Pazzi and Salviata clans. In an attempt to wrest political power, they conspired with the Archbishop of Pisa and then Pope, Sixtus IV, to assassinate Lorenzo and his brother Giuliano. The two were attacked on Easter Sunday 1478 during a service at the Cathedral de Santa Maria del Fiore, at which the Archbishop of Pisa was presiding. Giuliano died after being brutally stabbed several times but Lorenzo was only wounded in the shoulder before the murderers fled. The Florence populace was outraged; they lynched the archbishop and tore members of the Pazzi family to shreds. Pope Sixtus IV, an enemy of the Medici family, retaliated by seizing all the Medici assets he could, excommunicated Lorenzo and the entire government of Florence, and put the Republic under interdict. He also allied with King Ferdinand of Naples, who subsequently staged an attack on Florence. The crisis ended after Lorenzo traveled to Naples to become a prisoner of the king for several months, ultimately crafting a truce with the monarch while his captive. Lorenzo emerged with increased prestige, which enabled him to secure further constitutional changes that enhanced his personal power.

Lorenzo's political marriage to Clarice Orsini produced ten children (one of whom, Giovanni, went on to become Pope Leo X). His eldest son Piero (1472-1503) inherited the family businesses after Lorenzo's death. Piero, aka "Piero the Unfortunate," was completely incompetent however, and allowed the political situation to deteriorate so badly and quickly that the entire family was expelled from Florence just two years after Lorenzo's demise. But it didn't take long for the Medicis to return to influence, and the family continued to shape events in Florence for many years after.

Picture of Lorenzo de' Medici portrait by Giorgio Vasari

Filed under People, Eras & Events

This article relates to The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence. It first ran in the May 31, 2017 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.