A portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici by Girolamo Macchietti.

Lorenzo de' Medici (January 1, 1449 – 9 April 1492) was an Italian statesman and ruler of the Florentine Republic during the Italian Renaissance. 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 that he helped to maintain between the various Italian states collapsed with his death; and two years later the French invasion of 1494 began nearly 400 years of foreign occupation of the Italian peninsula. Lorenzo de Medici may refer to one of the following members of the House of Medici: Lorenzo il Vecchio (1395-1440) Lorenzo il Magnifico (1449-1492) Lorenzo il Popolano (1463-1503) Lorenzo II de Medici, Duke of Urbino (1492-1519) Lorenzino de Medici (also known as Lorenzaccio, 1514-1548) Lorenzo... Image File history File links Lorenzo_de'_Medici-ritratto. ... Image File history File links Lorenzo_de'_Medici-ritratto. ... Girolamo Macchietti (c1535/1541-1592) was an Italian painter active in Florence, working in a Mannerist style. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 6 - Constantine XI is crowned Byzantine Emperor. ... is the 99th day of the year (100th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Not to be confused with 1492: Conquest of Paradise. ... Florence (Italian, Firenze) is a city in the center of Tuscany, in central Italy, on the Arno River, with a population of around 400,000, plus a suburban population in excess of 200,000. ... 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 century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe. ... Combatants France Papal States, Republic of Venice, Naples, Duchy of Milan, Holy Roman Empire Commanders Charles VIII Francesco II The First Italian War (1494–95), sometimes referred to as the Italian War of 1494 or Charles VIIIs Italian War, was the opening phase of the Italian Wars. ...

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 Europe) on art and public works. Lorenzo's father, Piero 'the Gouty' de' Medici, was also at the center of Florentine life, and extremely active as a patron and collector. His mother Lucrezia Tornabuoni was also a dilettante poet and friend to figures like Luigi Pulci or Agnolo Poliziano. Cosimo di Giovanni de Medici (April 10, 1389 - August 1, 1464), was the first of the Medici political dynasty, effective rulers of Florence during most of the Italian Renaissance; also know as Cosimo the Elder and Cosimo Pater Patriae. ... Piero de Medici (the Gouty), Italian Piero il Gottoso (1416 – December 2, 1469), was the de facto ruler of Florence from 1464 to 1469, during the Italian Renaissance. ... (ital. ... Luigi Pulci (15 August 1432 - 1484) was an Italian poet most famous for his Morgante, an epic story of a giant who is converted to Christianity and follows Orlando, all written in a mock-heroic tone. ... Angelo Poliziano. ...

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. His own horse was named Morello. Jousting is a staple entertainment at Renaissance Fairs. ... Hawking may refer either to: The tradition and sport of hunting with hawks, see falconry Selling in the street by open outcry The theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article is about the hunting of prey by human society. ... Palio is the name given in Italy to an annual athletic contest, very often of a historical character, pitting the neighbourhoods of a town or the hamlets of a comune against each other. ...

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 others of that nature.

Lorenzo and politics

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. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (800x1118, 133 KB) Andrea del Verrocchio, Lorenzo de Medici, 1480 From : http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (800x1118, 133 KB) Andrea del Verrocchio, Lorenzo de Medici, 1480 From : http://www. ...

Lorenzo, like his father and grandfather, ruled Florence indirectly, through surrogates in the city councils, through threats, payoffs, strategic marriages - all the tools of autocracy. 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 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. 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. is the 116th day of the year (117th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events February 18 - George, Duke of Clarence, convicted of treason against his older brother Edward IV of England, is privately executed in the Tower of London. ... The Pazzi family were Tuscan nobles who had become bankers in Florence in the 14th century. ... The Pazzi family were Tuscan nobles who had become bankers in Florence in the 14th century. ... The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Pisa is an ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Italy. ... Sixtus IV (July 21, 1414 – August 12, 1484), born Francesco della Rovere, was Pope from 1471 to 1484. ... Portrait by Sandro Botticelli. ...

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. 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. Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ... Interdict can refer to several things: Look up interdict in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Ferdinand I (1423 - January 25, 1494), also called Don Ferrante, was the King of Naples from 1458 to 1494. ... Alphonso II of Naples (November 4, 1448 - December 18, 1495) was King of Naples from January 25, 1494 to 1495. ...

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. This enabled him to secure constitutional changes that enhanced his power. Bologna (IPA , from Latin Bononia, Bulåggna in Emiliano-Romagnolo dialect) is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, in the Pianura Padana, between the Po River and the Apennines, exactly between the Reno River and the Sàvena River. ... For other uses, see Milan (disambiguation). ... Sforza was a ruling family of Renaissance Italy, based in Milan. ... For other uses see, Naples (disambiguation) and Napoli (disambiguation) Location of the city of Naples (red dot) within Italy. ...

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. Jacopo Pontormo: Cosimo de Medici, 1518-1519 Cosimo di Giovanni de Medici (September 27, 1389 – August 1, 1464), was the first of the Medici political dynasty, rulers of Florence during most of the Italian Renaissance; also known as Cosimo the Elder (il Vecchio) and Cosimo Pater Patriae. ...

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

Image File history File links Ghirlandaio_a-pucci-lorenzo-de-medici-f-sassetti_1. ... Image File history File links Ghirlandaio_a-pucci-lorenzo-de-medici-f-sassetti_1. ...

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, Filippino Lippi, and Michelangelo Buonarroti who were involved in the 15th century Renaissance. 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. Portrait of a Girl by Piero del Pollaiolo, at the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milan Piero del Pollaiolo (c. ... Antonio del Pollaiuolo (1429 - 1498) distinguished himself as a sculptor, jeweller, painter and engraver, and did valuable service in perfecting the art of enamelling. ... Madonna with Sts John the Baptist and Donatus (1475-83), Cathedral of Pistoia. ... “Da Vinci” redirects here. ... Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli (little barrel) (March 1, 1445 – May 17, 1510) was an Italian painter of the Florentine school during the Early Renaissance (Quattrocento). ... An Old Man with a Strawberry Nose (1480). ... Filippino Lippi, self-portrait Biography Filippino Lippi (ca. ... Michelangelo (full name Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni) (March 6, 1475 - February 18, 1564) was a Renaissance sculptor, architect, painter, and poet. ... (14th century - 15th century - 16th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 15th century was that century which lasted from 1401 to 1500. ... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ...

Lorenzo was an artist of some note himself, writing poetry in his native Tuscan. 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. The Tuscan dialect is a dialect spoken in Tuscany, Italy. ...

Cosimo had started the collection of books which became the Medici Library (also called the Laurentian Library) and Lorenzo expanded it. 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, It has been suggested that Biblioteca Mediceo Lauenziana be merged into this article or section. ... See also the specific life stance known as Humanism For the Renaissance liberal arts movement, see Renaissance humanism 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 appeal to universal human qualities... PLATO was one of the first generalized Computer assisted instruction systems, originally built by the University of Illinois (U of I) and later taken over by Control Data Corporation (CDC), who provided the machines it ran on. ... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations · Other religions Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Christianity is... Domenico Ghirlandaio. ... Pico della Mirandola. ...

Later years

A posthumous portrait of Lorenzo by Giorgio Vasari

Lorenzo was not successful in business. During his tenure, several branches of the family bank collapsed because of bad loans, and, in later years, he got into financial difficulties himself and resorted to mis-appropriating trust and state funds for his own needs. Image File history File links Vasari-Lorenzo. ... Image File history File links Vasari-Lorenzo. ... Giorgio Vasaris selfportrait Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Giorgio Vasari Giorgio Vasari (Arezzo, Tuscany July 3, 1511 - Florence, June 27, 1574) was an Italian painter and architect, mainly known for his famous biographies of Italian artists. ...

Toward the end of Lorenzo's life, Florence came under the spell of Savonarola, who believed that Christians had strayed too far into Greco-Roman culture. Lorenzo played a role in bringing Savonarola to Florence. Girolamo Savonarola by Fra Bartolomeo, ca 1498 Girolamo Savonarola (September 21, 1452–May 23, 1498), also translated as Jerome Savonarola or Hieronymous Savonarola, was a Dominican priest and, briefly, ruler of Florence, who was known for religious reformation and anti-Renaissance preaching and his book burning and destruction of...

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 di Lorenzo de Medici (11 December 1475 – 1 December 1521) was Pope from 1513 to his death. ... Portrait by Sandro Botticelli. ... For the antipope (1378–1394) see antipope Clement VII and other Popes named Clement see Pope Clement. ...

His first son and his political heir, Piero 'the Unfortunate', squandered his father's patrimony and brought down his father's dynasty in Florence. 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. Portrait of Piero de Medici by Agnolo Bronzino. ... Pope Leo X, born Giovanni di Lorenzo de Medici (11 December 1475 – 1 December 1521) was Pope from 1513 to his death. ... 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. ...

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). Savonarola visited Lorenzo on his death bed. The rumor that Savonarola damned Lorenzo on his deathbed has been refuted by Roberto Ridolfi in his book, Vita di Girolamo Savonarola. Letters written by witnesses to Lorenzo's death report that 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. 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. The Albertian Villa Medici in Fiesole: terraced grounds on a sloping site. ... Villa Medici in Careggi. ... Girolamo Savonarola by Fra Bartolomeo, ca 1498 Girolamo Savonarola (September 21, 1452–May 23, 1498), also translated as Jerome Savonarola or Hieronymous Savonarola, was a Dominican priest and, briefly, ruler of Florence, who was known for religious reformation and anti-Renaissance preaching and his book burning and destruction of... Roberto di Ridolfi or Ridolfo (1531-1612) was an Italian conspirator, who belonged to a famous family of Florence, where he was born on the 18th of November 1531. ... Santa Reparata is the Italian form of the name of St. ... Portrait by Sandro Botticelli. ... For other uses, see Michelangelo (disambiguation). ... 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 main market district. ... Exterior from the Piazza San Lorenzo. ... 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 main market district. ...

He died at the dawn of "the age of exploration"; Christopher Columbus would reach the "New World" only six months later. With his death, the center of the Renaissance shifted from Florence to Rome, where it would remain for the next century and beyond. Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. ...

Marriage and children

Lorenzo married Clarice Orsini by proxy on February 7, 1469. She was a daughter of Giacomo Orsini, Lord of Monterotondo and Bracciano by his wife and cousin Maddalena Orsini. They had nine children: Clarice Orsini (NN, 1453 – Aug NN, 1488), born in Italy to Giacomo Orsini di Monterotondo and Maddalena Orsini. ... Look up proxy in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... is the 38th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events July 26 - Battle of Edgecote Moor October 17 - Prince Ferdinand of Aragon wed princess Isabella of Castile. ... Monterotondo is a village that is part of the modern province of Rome,Italy ... Bracciano is a town and commune located northwest of Rome, Italy, famous for its lake of volcanic origin (Lago di Bracciano or Sabatino) and its medieval castle. ...

• Lucrezia de' Medici (August 4, 1470 - November, 1553). She married Giacomo Salviati. Their daughter Francesca Salviati was mother to Pope Leo XI.
• Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici (February 15, 1471 - December 28, 1503).
• Twins born in March, 1472. Died shortly after birth.
• Maddalena de' Medici (July 25, 1473 - December, 1528). Married Franceschetto Cybo, an illegitimate son of Pope Innocent VIII.
• Pope Leo X (born Giovanni de' Medici; December 11, 1475 - December 1, 1521).
• Luisa de' Medici (1477 - 1488). She was betrothed to her cousin Giovanni de' Medici il Popolano.
• Contessina de' Medici (1478 - 1515). Married Piero Ridolfi.
• Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Nemours (March 12, 1479 - March 17, 1516).

Mother of Pope Leo XI ... is the 216th day of the year (217th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events May 15 - Charles VIII of Sweden who had served three terms as King of Sweden dies. ... // Events June 26 - Christs Hospital in London gets a Royal Charter July 6 - Edward VI of England dies July 10 - Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen of England - for the next nine days July 18 - Lord Mayor of London proclaims Queen Mary as the rightful Queen - Lady Jane Grey... The Salviati were a prominent Florentine-Roman family who in the 15th century were bankers to Pope Sixtus IV. They were among those involved in the Pazzi Conspiracy of 1478, a plot to murder the leading members of the Medici family in Florence. ... Leo XI, né Alessandro Ottaviano de Medici (June 2, 1535, Florence – April 27, 1605, Rome), was Pope from April 1, 1605 to April 27 of the same year. ... Portrait of Piero de Medici by Agnolo Bronzino. ... is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 1471, not the BT caller ID service accessible by dialling 1-4-7-1. ... is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1503 (MDIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... For other uses, see Twin (disambiguation). ... Maddalena de Medici (July 25, 1473 - December 1528) was the daughter of Lorenzo de Medici and Clarice Orsini. ... is the 206th day of the year (207th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Ottoman sultan Mehmed II defeats the White Sheep Turkmens lead by Uzun Hasan at Otlukbeli Axayacatl, Aztec ruler of Tenochtitlan invades the territory of neighboring Aztec city of Tlatelolco. ... Franceschetto Cybo (baptized Francesco; c. ... Pope Innocent VIII (1432 – July 25, 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo, was Pope from 1484 until his death. ... Pope Leo X, born Giovanni di Lorenzo de Medici (11 December 1475 – 1 December 1521) was Pope from 1513 to his death. ... December 11 is the 345th day of the year (346th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 5^{Superscript text}7<!-- Comment --><blockquote> Block quote </blockquote>{| class=class=wikitable |- ! header 1 ! header 2 ! header 3 |-{| class=wikitable |- ! header 1 ! header 2 ! header 3{| class=wikitable |- ! header 1 ! header 2 ! header 3 |- | row 1, cell 1 | row 1, cell 2 | row 1, cell 3 |- | row 2... is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 3 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem. ... Giovanni de Medici, known as il Popolano (October 21, 1467 - September 14, 1498) was an Italian nobleman of the Medici House of Florence. ... The Medici family was a powerful and influential Florentine family from the 13th to 17th century. ... Portrait of Giuliano de Medici by Raphael. ... In the 12th and 13th centuries the lordship of Nemours, in the Gatinais, France, was in possession of the house of Villebeon, a member of which, Gautier was marshal of France in the middle of the 13th century. ... is the 71st day of the year (72nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 20 - Ferdinand II ascends the throne of Aragon and rules together with his wife Isabella, queen of Castile over most of the Iberian peninsula. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... // Events March - With the death of Ferdinand II of Aragon, his grandson Charles of Ghent becomes King of Spain as Carlos I. July - Selim I of the Ottoman Empire declares war on the Mameluks and invades Syria. ...

See also

• The Medici Family
• Renaissance
• Medici giraffe

For the board game, see Medici (board game). ... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ... The Gathering of Manna (1540) by Piero Bacchiacca. ...

Further reading

• Christopher Hibbert, The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall (Morrow-Quill, 1980) is a highly readable, non-scholarly general history of the family, and covers Lorenzo's life in some detail
• F. W. Kent, Lorenzo de- Medici and the Art of Magnificence (The Johns Hopkins Symposia in Comparative History (The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004) A summary of 40 years of research with a specific theme of Il Magnifico's relationship with the visual arts

External links

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Category:Lorenzo de' Medici

• Life And All Complete Works By Lorenzo de' Medici - Format HTML