This article is on the first Duke of Florence. For the Pope (a different Alessandro de' Medici), see Pope Leo XI. Leo XI, born Alessandro Ottaviano de Medici (2 June 1535—27 April 1605), was pope from April 1, 1605 to April 27 of the same year. ...

Alessandro de' Medici (July 22, 1510 - January 6, 1537) called "il Moro" ("the Moor"), Duke of Penne and also Duke of Florence (from 1532), ruler of Florence from 1530 until 1537), though illegitimate, was the last of the "senior" branch of the Medici to rule Florence and the first to be hereditary duke. July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... Events Conquest of Pskov by Grand Prince Vasili III of Muscovy. ... January 6 is the 6th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events January 6 - Alessandro de Medici assassinated August 25 - The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, was formed. ... A high altitude form of heathland habitat widespread in northern Britain; see heath. ... The term duke is a title of nobility which refers to the sovereign male ruler of a Continental European duchy, to a nobleman of the highest grade of the British peerage, or to the highest rank of nobility in various other European countries, including Spain and France (in Italy, principe... Penne Penne are a type of pasta originating in Italy. ... Events May 16 - Sir Thomas More resigns as Lord Chancellor of England. ... Florence - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Events June 25 - Augsburg confession presented to Charles V of Holy Roman Empire. ... Events January 6 - Alessandro de Medici assassinated August 25 - The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, was formed. ... The Medici family was a powerful and influential Florentine family during the Renaissance, whose wealth and influence initially derived from the textile trade guided by the guild of the Becoming first bankers, and later politicians, clergy and nobles, the Medici attained their greatest prominence during the 15th through 17th centuries...

He was recognized as the illegitimate son of Lorenzo II de' Medici (grandson of Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent), but many scholars today believe him to be in fact the illegitimate son of Giulio de' Medici (later Pope Clement VII). Some historians (such as Christopher Hibbert) think he may have been born to a black serving-woman in the Medici household, identified in documents as Simonetta da Collavechio; others point to a peasant woman from the Roman Campagna as his mother. The nickname is said to derive from his features (Hibbert 1999: 236). Lorenzo di Piero de Medici (September 9, 1492 _ May 4, 1519), Duke of Urbino, grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent; he was ruler of Florence from 1513 to his untimely death in 1519. ... Lorenzo di Piero de Medici (January 1, 1449 – 8 April 1492) was an Italian statesman and ruler of the Florentine Republic during the height of the Italian Renaissance. ... For the antipope (1378_1394) see Antipope Clement VII. Clement VII, né Giulio di Giuliano de Medici (1478 – September 25, 1534) was pope from 1523 to 1534. ... For the antipope (1378-1394) see Antipope Clement VII. Pope Clement VII Clement VII, né Giulio di Giuliano de Medici (1478 – September 25, 1534) was pope from 1523 to 1534. ...

When Emperor Charles V sacked Rome in 1527, the Florentines took advantage of the turmoil in Italy to reinstall the Republic; both Alessandro and Ippolito fled, along with the rest of the Medici and their main supporters, including the Pope's regent, Cardinal Silvio Passerini. Michelangelo, then occupied in creating a funerary chapel for the Medici, initally took charge of building fortifications around Florence in support of the Republic; he later temporarily fled the city. Clement eventually made his peace with the Emperor, and with the support of Imperial troops, the Republic was overwhelmed after a lengthy siege, and the Medici were restored to power in the summer of 1530. Clement assigned Florence to nineteen-year-old Alessandro, who had been made a duke, an appointment that was purchased from Charles. He arrived in Florence to take up his rule on July 5, 1531, and was created hereditary Duke of Florence 9 months later by the Emperor (for Tuscany lay outside the Papal States), there by signalling the end of the Republic (Hibbert 1999: 250-252; and Schevill 1936: 482, 513-514). Charles (February 24, 1500 – September 21, 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor (as Charles V) from 1519-1558; he was also King of Spain from 1516-1556, officially as Charles I of Spain, although often referred to as Charles V (Carlos Quinto or Carlos V) in Spain and Latin America. ... Ippolito de Medici (1511-1535) was the illegitimate only son of Cardinal Giuliano de Medici. ... Cardinal Silvio Passerini (1469‑1529) was taken under the wing of the powerful Florentine Medici family, after his father, Rosado, was imprisoned for too openly supporting the Medici cause during one of the reversals of power in Quattrocento Florence. ... This page is about the artist. ... Events June 25 - Augsburg confession presented to Charles V of Holy Roman Empire. ... July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... Events January 26 - Lisbon, Portugal is hit by an earthquake-- thousands die October 1 - Battle of Kappel - The forces of Zürich are defeated by the Catholic cantons. ...

His many enemies among the exiles helped establish a contemporary assessment that his rule was harsh, debased and incompetent, an assessment about which there is debate among later historians. One relic of his rule sometimes pointed out as a symbol of Medici oppression is the massive Fortezza da Basso, today the largest historical monument of Florence. In 1535 the Florentine opposition sent his cousin Ippolito to appeal to Charles V against some actions of the Duke, but Ippolito died en route; rumors were spread that he had been poisoned at Alessandro's orders (Hibbert 1999: 254).

In a late replay of the kind of medieval civil politics that had long revolved around pope and emperor, commune and lord, the Emperor supported Alessandro against the republicans. In 1533, he married his natural daughter Margaret of Austria to Alessandro. For his own inclinations, Alessandro seems to have remained faithful to one mistress, Taddea Malespina, who bore his only children. Events January 25 - King Henry VIII of England marries Anne Boleyn, his second Queen consort. ... Categories: 1911 Britannica | Stub ...

Within months his distant cousin Lorenzino de' Medici, assassinated him. According to the declaration he later published, "Lorenzaccio" ("bad Lorenzino") claimed that he had executed Alessandro for the sake of the republic— and that he had entrapped him through the ruse of a promised arranged sexual encounter. When the anti-Medici faction failed to rise, Lorenzaccio fled to Venice. He was himself eventually murdered some twelve years later. The Medici supporters (called "Palleschi" from the balls on the Medici arms) ensured that power then passed to Cosimo I de' Medici, the first of the "junior" branch of the Medici to rule Florence. Venice is known for its waterways and gondolas Gondola. ... Cosimo I de Medici in Armour by Agnolo Bronzino Cosimo I de Medici (June 12, 1519 – April 21, 1574) was the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1537 to 1574, during the waning days of the Renaissance. ...

Alessandro was survived by two natural children of Taddea's: a son, Giulio (age four at the time of his father's death), and a daughter, Giulia; their descendants include most of the royal houses of Europe. Giulio de Medici (ca. ... Giulia di Alessando de Medici (ca. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

External links

• Alessandro de Medici (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/secret/famous/medici.html) PBS online page discussing his ancestry, and his heirs (Note: this article is known to contain at least one elementary error, involving the well-known Medici tombs.)

PBS re-directs here; for alternate uses see PBS (disambiguation) PBS logo The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is a non-profit public broadcasting television service with 349 member TV stations in the United States. ...

Reference

• Christopher Hibbert, The House of Medici, Its Rise and Fall 1999.
• Ferdinand Schevill, History of Florence 1936.