Lorenzino de' Medici
| Lorenzino de' Medici | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Noble family | Medici |
| Father | Pierfrancesco II de' Medici |
| Mother | Maria Soderini |
| Born |
23 March 1514 Florence |
| Died | 26 February 1548 (aged 33) Venice |
Lorenzino de' Medici (March 23, 1514 – February 26, 1548), also known as Lorenzaccio, was an Italian politician, writer and dramatist, and a member of the Medici family. He became famous for the assassination of his cousin, Alessandro de' Medici, duke and ruler of Florence.
Son of Pierfrancesco and Maria Soderini, Lorenzino lost his father when he was only eleven (1525). He was then raised by his mother at the Villa del Trebbio along with his younger brother Giuliano and his two sisters Laudomia and Maddalena. In 1526 his mother decided to move to Venice with Giuliano and the future Cosimo I de' Medici to escape the arrival of the Landsknechts. Their departure was timely because, only one year later, the Sack of Rome enormously weakened Pope Clement VII de' Medici and, as a consequence, the Medici were expelled from Florence.
In 1530 Lorenzino moved to Rome, where in 1534 he mutilated the heads of some of the ancient statues of the Arch of Constantine. Only the intercession of his cousin Cardinal Ippolito saved Lorenzino from the anger of the Pope, who had promised to condemn the vandal to death. Nevertheless, after this virtually inexplicable action, Lorenzino was disgracefully expelled from Rome.
After leaving Rome, Lorenzino returned to Florence, where he soon established a close relationship with his cousin Alessandro de' Medici, who had become lord of Florence in 1530 and duke in 1532. The two were partners in riotous escapades, but the authenticity of their friendship is doubtful and their relationship had more than one dark side. In 1536, the duke sided against Lorenzino in a legal controversy on the inheritance of Pierfrancesco de' Medici, Lorenzino’s grand-grandfather, which caused substantial financial damage to Lorenzino. In the same year, Alessandro married Margaret of Parma, the natural daughter of the Emperor Charles V.
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