Piero Di Lorenzo De' Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance Italy

Following the life of one man, Piero de' Medici, Lorenzo the Magnificent's son, Alison Brown sheds new light on several of the most important themes of Renaissance history and culture by combining political history, the history of ideas, and cultural history. This interdisciplinary study weaves together an understudied period of crisis in Italy which brought down three leading dynasties, the revolution that in turn led to the new political realism of writers like Machiavelli, Guicciardini and Francesco Vettori, and, finally, the transition from the civic culture of the early Renaissance to the courtly or princely culture of the Cinquecento. Focusing on Piero's full life and colourful character, Brown grants us a unique and contextualised insight into the patronage, culture and politics of Renaissance Italy whilst grounding broader trends within the lived experience of Florence's most famous ruling family. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title page 5 Copyright information 6 Dedication 7 Contents 9 Acknowledgements 11 List of Abbreviations 14 Introduction 17 Part I The Early Years 23 1 Piero's Childhood 25 2 Family Backgrounds 32 3 Education under Poliziano's Tutelage 42 Piero's Adolescence 50 4 Political Tyro at Home and Abroad, 1484–1486 55 5 Marrying into the Roman Aristocracy, 1487–1488 68 Piero's Triumphal Return to Rome 73 Piero's Marriage in Rome 81 6 The Choice of Hercules: Between Duty and Pleasure, 1488–1489 87 Piero in Florence and Pisa 88 Piero in Milan 92 Piero at the Crossroads 98 7 Piero as Lorenzo's Deputy in 1490 104 Piero in Loco Parentis 106 Lorenzo's 'Shady' Power in the Face of Danger 110 'Going Off to Enjoy Myself': Piero's Life After His Father's Return 117 Part II Between Republicanism and Princely Rule 121 8 Cultural Patronage and Sportsmanship 123 Piero's Talents and Cultural Patronage 124 Horses, Falcons and Footballers 133 9 Ruling as Patrons in Florence's Dominion and Beyond 139 Capo in Florence's Dominion 141 Faenza and the Romagna 143 Rome and the Medici Bank 146 Siena as a Client State 147 Pisa and the 'Company of Piero de' Medici' 154 Part III Piero in Power 163 10 Lorenzo's Death and Its Aftermath, 1492 165 Piero and the Ruling Elite in Florence 170 The Embassy to Rome, November–December 1492 176 The Cibo Lands and Religious Disputes in Florence 180 11 Balancing Power in Italy, 1493 184 Piero, Virginio and the Pope 184 Piero and Naples 185 Piero and Milan 187 The Cibo Settlement in Rome 191 12 'The Viper with Its Tail in Florence', 1493–1494 196 Zanobi Acciaiuoli's Confession 197 The Unmasking of the Conspiracy 202 13 The Crux, 1494 206 Realignment on Ferrante's Death 207 Piero's Crisis 209 14 The French Descent 214 The Meeting at Vicovaro 220 Piero the Strategist in His Study 224 15 Revolution in Florence 230 The French Coup De Grâce 233 The Fall of Piero and the Medici Regime 238 Part IV Piero in Exile 245 16 Perambulating Italy, 1494–1497 247 In Venice and Central Italy, 1494–1495 248 Between the League and Florence 250 The Emperor-Elect in Italy, 1496 257 At the Gates With Sword in Hand, 1497 259 17 'Contamination in the Labyrinth': Networking in Exile 270 18 The Last Years, 1498–1503 287 Fighting in the Casentino, 1498–1499 288 'Piero's Mask' After the French Return, 1499–1500 292 Cesare Borgia's Campaign, 1500–1501 297 The Last Turn of Fortune's Wheel, 1501–1503 302 19 Piero's Burial and Legacy 308 The Medici's Return to Florence 310 Lorenzo di Piero as Florence's New Head 312 Conclusion 315 20 Power and Legitimacy in Renaissance Italy 317 Bibliography 324 Index 341 "This biography brings to life an important but little known Renaissance figure and also fills a gap in the history of Florence and Italy after the death of Lorenzo il Magnifico in 1492. As Lorenzo's eldest son, Piero enjoyed two years in power as Florence's unofficial ruler before the French invasion of 1494 brought down his regime and led to his nine-year exile. Although condemned as a tyrant and criticized for his princely behaviour as an Orsini, his life and letters reveal an interesting but divided personality: clever and cultured as a scholar, confidant as a patron and sportsman, but diffident as a city-politician and often cowardly in times of crisis. He provides a valuable lens through which to view many aspects of Renaissance society - its social life and marriage rituals, its art, music and cultural patronage, its sports - and especially its politics. As well as shedding new light on his father's double politics, which Piero continued, his life suggests how in less fraught times he might have provided Florence's expanding state with the new sort of leader it needed, more of a patron and mediator than a city politician or prince"-- Provided by publisher