Contents 1 Youth 2 Politics 3 Patronage 4 Marriage and children 5 Later years 6 In popular culture 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links Youth Lorenzo's grandfather, Cosimo de' Medici, was the first member of the Medici family to combine Already drained by his grandfather's building projects and constantly stressed by mismanagement, wars, and political expenses, the assets of the Medici Bank reduced seriously during the course of Lorenzo's lifetime. Lorenzo married Clarice Orsini by proxy on 7 February 1469. Lorenzo was influential and an important part on Italian renaissance. Lorenzo de'Medici was a statesman and patron of the arts in Florence, Italy, during the 15th century. Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici, known as Lorenzo il Magnifico, third of the Medici dynasty, was lord of Florence from 1469 to his death. He enriched the collections of the Medici family with precious works of art and rare books. In particular, Lorenzo attended the Platonic Academy of Marsilio Ficino, who had a big influence on many elements of Florentine culture. Clarice Orsini was born circa1453 in Monterotondo, Papal States, Italy to Giacomo Orsini (-1482) and Maddalena Orsini (c1410) and died 30 July 1488 inFlorence, Republic of Florence, Italy of tuberculosis. The death of Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici. Facts about Lorenzo de Medici 2: the life and death. [18][19] Rival Florentine families inevitably harboured resentments over the Medicis' dominance, and enemies of the Medici remained a factor in Florentine life long after Lorenzo's passing. [30] They studied Greek philosophers and attempted to merge the ideas of Plato with Christianity. Lorenzo de’ Medici’s exact cause of death. Lorenzo would succeed to this unofficial but immensely powerful position on Piero's death in late 1469. On April 9, the 43-year-old Florentine finally died. "[16], Lorenzo, groomed for power, assumed a leading role in the state upon the death of his father in 1469, when he was 20. April 8, 1492 . [21] Shockingly, Salviati acted with the blessing of his patron Pope Sixtus IV. Lorenzo de' Medici, the brilliant, learned, and ruthless head of a wealthy banking family, ruled the Italian city-state of Florence in the Renaissance. Lorenzo played a role in bringing Savonarola to Florence. Ascending to power after the death of his father, he became the sole unchallenged ruler of Florence during its most prosperous years. Cosimo had started the collection of books that became the Medici Library (also called the Laurentian Library), and Lorenzo expanded it. Additionally, when did Lorenzo de Medici die? In 1469 Piero organized a joust to celebrate Lorenzo’s marriage to Clarice Orsini. [11] He carried a banner painted by Verrocchio, and his horse was named Morello di Vento. Lorenzo de' Medici died during the night of April 8/9, 1492, at the long-time family villa of Careggi (Florentine reckoni… 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. Lorenzo's mother, Lucrezia Tornabuoni, was a writer of sonnets and a friend to poets and philosophers of the Medici Academy. Letters written by witnesses to Lorenzo's death report that he died peacefully after listening to the Gospel of the day. Using the pretext of an incognito visit to her brother, managers of the Rome branch of the Medici bank, she was actually there to sort out a bride for her son. She became her son’s advisor after the deaths of his father and uncle. Lorenzo is remembered as The Magnificent for his political astuteness as well as his artistic skills. He also ensured a period of peace among the various Italian powers through his influence and important friendships. Born in Florence, he was a son of Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici and Alfonsina Orsini. Read Also: 10 Facts about Lord Nelson. Lorenzo enhanced the prestige and stability of his house when he came to an agreement with Pope Sixtus IV in 1471 by which the Medici would continue to handle the papal finances. Although Lorenzo did not commission many works himself, he helped these artists to secure commissions from other patrons. Lorenzo was an artist and wrote poetry in his native Tuscan. [24], Lorenzo rallied the citizens. The most notable of the rival families was the Pazzi, who nearly brought Lorenzo’s reign to an end immediately after it began. Lorenzo’s influence on the patronage of others extended outside Florence’s borders. Lorenzo did not officially accept power, wanting to be considered a simple citizen of Florence while virtually centralizing into his own hands the power of the city and the state. Clarice Orsini de Medici (1453-1488) - Married Lorenzo de' Medici by proxy on February 7 1469. In 1471, Lorenzo calculated that his family had spent some 663,000 florins (about US$460 million today) on charity, buildings and taxes since 1434. Lorenzo de' Medici Birth Date January 1, 1449 Death Date April 9, 1492 Place of Birth Florence, Italy Place of Death Careggi, Italy AKA Lorenzo the Magnificent. During Lorenzo's tenure, several branches of the family bank collapsed because of bad loans, and in later years he got into financial difficulties and resorted to misappropriating trust and state funds. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about his life. He continued the Medici patronage of ecclesiastical institutions. He personified the model of the Renaissance prince. For these reasons, Lorenzo was the subject of the Pazzi conspiracy (1478), in which his brother Giuliano was assassinated. First the Roman Curia in 1462, and then Lorenzo and the Medici Bank less than a year later, got involved in backing the mining operation, with the pope taking a two-ducat commission for each cantar quintal of alum retrieved and ensuring a monopoly against the Turkish-derived goods by prohibiting trade in alum with infidels. He ruled Florence with his younger brother Giuliano (1453–78) from 1469 to 1478 and, after the latter’s assassination, was sole ruler from 1478 to 1492. He supported the development of humanism through his circle of scholarly friends, including the philosophers Marsilio Ficino, Poliziano and Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. Rival Florentine families inevitably harboured resentment over the Medici’s dominance, and enemies of the Medici remained a factor in Florentine life long after Lorenzo’s passing. [26] When they realized the value of the alum mine, the people of Volterra wanted its revenues for their municipal funds rather than having it enter the pockets of their Florentine backers. [2][3][4] Also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (Lorenzo il Magnifico [loˈrɛntso il maɲˈɲiːfiko]) by contemporary Florentines, he was a magnate, diplomat, politician and patron of scholars, artists, and poets. Lorenzo hurried to Volterra to make amends, but the incident would remain a dark stain on his record.[27][28]. However, despite Lorenzo being struck with grief over his brother's death, actor Daniel recently told press including Express.co.uk that viewers … The rumour that Savonarola damned Lorenzo on his deathbed has been refuted in Roberto Ridolfi's book Vita di Girolamo Savonarola. Lorenzo was both ruler and scholar. This bust may copy a wax statue made to commemorate Lorenzo's survival in 1478, when an assassination plot took the life of his younger brother. Lorenzo de’ Medici … I didn’t realize he wanted to be a simple citizen. Earlier in that year, 16-year-old Clarice was betrothed to 20-year-old Lorenzo by his mother, Lucrezia de Medici (1425–1482). [citation needed] The marriage in person took place in Florence on 4 June 1469. His life coincided with the mature phase of Italian Renaissance, and his death coincided with the end of the Golden Age of Florence. Giuliano de’ Medici (left) and Lorenzo the Magnificent (right) Giuliano de’ Medici: A few facts. He had a flat nose, a nasal high-pitched voice and didn’t look the … It was a coincidence to know that the life of Medici marked the maturity of Renaissance period in Italy. He was also a writer, patron, poet and humanist, as well as one of the most significant Renaissance politicians, both for having embodied the ideal of the humanist prince, and for his skill in managing power. Lorenzo sent mercenaries to suppress the revolt by force, and the mercenaries ultimately sacked the city. Lorenzo de’ Medici was born in Italy. Lorenzo de’Medici In Death. Lorenzo’s interest in antiquity is further underlined by the keenness with which he built up an expensive collection of antiquities, including sculptures, gems, cameos, vases, and large-scale marble sculptures. Lorenzo was considered the brightest of the five children of Piero and Lucrezia. His second son, Giovanni, who became Pope Leo X, retook the city in 1512 with the aid of a Spanish army. Lorenzo de’ Medici was an Italian politician, statesman, diplomat, banker, and de facto ruler of the Republic of Florence. That success enabled Lorenzo to secure constitutional changes within the government of the Florentine Republic that further enhanced his own power. Lorenzo de' Medici is buried in the Medici Chapel in Florence. Conclusion. In 1559, the bodies of Lorenzo de' Medici ("the Magnificent") and his brother Giuliano were interred in the New Sacristy in an unmarked tomb beneath Michelangelo's statue of the Madonna. In 1469, aged 20, he won first prize in a jousting tournament sponsored by the Medici. After Lorenzo's death in 1492, the Medicis were driven out of Florence through the influence of Girolamo Savonarola and King Charles VIII of France. This post was originally published in October 28, 2013, and has been updated and enriched on March 15, 2017. In that same year, after the death of his father, Lorenzo assumed power over Florence, without any discord, at the mere age of twenty, along with his brother Giuliano In an attempt to … [15] Even Lorenzo's close friend Niccolo Valori described him as homely, saying, "nature had been a stepmother to him in regards to his personal appearance, although she had acted as a loving mother in all things concocted with the mind. I will check out the novel. During Lorenzo's tenure, several branches of the family bank collapsed because of bad loans, and in later years he got into financial difficulties and resorted to misappropriating trust and state funds. By enacting minor changes to the communal constitution, he gained power without losing popular support: the municipal courts were preserved but, deprived of autonomy, became mere instruments in his hands. In declining health for some three years, Lorenzo died on April 9, 1492, at age 43. In medieval Italy, life was cheap. Lorenzo emerged from the conflict with greatly increased prestige. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Lorenzo’s father, Piero di Cosimo de’ Medici, was equally at the centre of Florentine life, chiefly as an art patron and collector, like his father Cosimo de’ Medici, who was one of the wealthiest men in Europe and the first member of the Medici family to combine running the Medici Bank with leading the Republic of Florence. Lorenzo’s father, Piero di Cosimo de’ Medici, was equally at the centre of Florentine life, chiefly as an art patron and collector, like his father Cosimo de’ Medici, who was one of the wealthiest men in Europe and the first member of the Medici family to combine running the Medici Bank with leading the Republic of Florence.Lorenzo’s mother, Lucrezia Tornabuoni, was a writer of sonnets and a friend to poets and philosophers of the Medic… [39], Lorenzo was buried with his brother Giuliano in the Church of San Lorenzo in the red porphyry sarcophagus designed for Piero and Giovanni de' Medici, not, as might be expected, in the New Sacristy, designed by Michelangelo. Page 250. [25], Efforts to acquire revenue from the mining of alum in Tuscany unfortunately marred Lorenzo's reputation. An example includes the commission of Ghirlandaio, Botticelli, Pietro Perugino and Cosimo Rosselli from Rome to paint murals in the Sistine Chapel, a move that has been interpreted as sealing the alliance between Lorenzo and Pope Sixtus IV.[30]. How did Lorenzo de’ Medici die? Lorenzo's grandfather, Cosimo de' Medici, was the first member of the Medici family to lead the Republic of Florence and run the Medici Bank simultaneously. [23] When these moves had little effect, Sixtus formed a military alliance with King Ferdinand I of Naples, whose son, Alfonso, Duke of Calabria, led an invasion of the Florentine Republic, still ruled by Lorenzo. Suspiciously, that is also the year the Borgias rose to power in Rome. 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. Lorenzo enriched the family church of San Lorenzo, where the tomb of Piero and Giovanni de’ Medici was completed by Verrocchio between 1469 and 1472. Season 3 which is now streaming on Netflix also serves as the last season for the show -- Lorenzo was, after all, the last great Medici. Correspondingly, how did the Medici family end? She was deeply unpopular in Florence because of her religious views … André Chastel, Art et Humanisme à Florence au temps de Laurent le Magnifique (Paris, 1959). Spreading Art. Giovanni later ruled as Pope Leo … Apart from a personal interest, Lorenzo also used the Florentine milieu of fine arts for his diplomatic efforts. [20], On Sunday, 26 April 1478, in an incident known as the Pazzi conspiracy, a group headed by Girolamo Riario, Francesco de' Pazzi, and Francesco Salviati (the archbishop of Pisa), attacked Lorenzo and his brother and co-ruler Giuliano in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in an attempt to seize control of the Florentine government. Her choice fell on the daughter of Jacopo Monterotondo and… Lorenzo de’ Medici, byname Lorenzo the Magnificent, Italian Lorenzo il Magnifico, (born January 1, 1449, Florence [Italy]—died April 9, 1492, Careggi, near Florence), Florentine statesman, ruler, and patron of arts and letters, the most brilliant of the Medici. In the aftermath of the Pazzi Conspiracy and the punishment of Pope Sixtus IV’s supporters, the Medici and Florence suffered from the wrath of the Holy See, which seized all the Medici assets Sixtus could find, excommunicated Lorenzo and the entire government of Florence, and ultimately put the entire Florentine city-state under interdict. Lorenzo de’ Medici (January 1, 1449 – April 9, 1492) – called Il Magnifico (The Magnificent) – is probably the most well-known member of the Medici family; he was the son of Piero de’ Medici and Lucrezia Tornabuoni and the grandson of Cosimo the Elder. Lorenzo de’ Medici died in 1492. [7] She became her son's advisor after the deaths of his father and uncle. By then, the Medici family had lost all support of the people of Florence, who were under Savonarola's guidance. Recognizing his brother’s superior qualities, Giuliano immediately left to Lorenzo the tasks of government. Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (September 12, 1492 – May 4, 1519) was the ruler of Florence from 1513 to his death from syphilis in 1519. A key commodity in the glassmaking, tanning and textile industries, alum was available from only a few sources under the control of the Ottomans and monopolized by Genoa before the discovery of alum sources in Italy at Tolfa. [5] On the foreign policy front, Lorenzo manifested a clear plan to stem the territorial ambitions of Pope Sixtus IV, in the name of the balance of the Italian League of 1454. Alum had been discovered by local citizens of Volterra, who turned to Florence to get backing to exploit this important natural resource. The dynasty collapsed with a debauched duke. 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 instrumental in achieving the 15th-century Renaissance. 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