Soderini’s bank account: See Clarke, The Soderini and the Medici, 194.
the streets were illuminated by dozens of bonfires: Ibid., no. 58.
“all lords and worthy persons”: Lubkin, 99–100.
According to Francesco Guicciardini: Francesco Guicciardini, History of Florence, 24.
Lorenzo and his partisans were shut out: Clarke, The Soderini and the Medici, 191.
“If I understand matters correctly”: Rubinstein, Government of Florence Under the Medici, 204. For a complete discussion of electoral reform under Lorenzo see 199–263.
a margin of only two votes: Ibid., 206–7.
“In this way the Signoria”: Ibid., 207. Sacramoro to Galeazzo Maria, January 9, 1471.
“arrange and correct many things in the city”: Ibid., 208.
“things have come to such a pass”: Alison Brown, Bartolomeo Scala, 68.
CHAPTER X: FAT VICTORY
“ready and a spirited young man”: Machiavelli, Florentine Histories, VII, 25.
“long live the people of Florence and liberty!”: Rinuccini, Ricordi Storici, CXII.
mass executions in the squares of Florence and Prato: Landucci, 9.
frantic discussions in the palazzo : see Lorenzo, Lettere, I, no. 52, for a discussion of Lorenzo’s sometimes rocky relations with the city of Prato. Lorenzo’s authority increased after the failure of the rebellion.
Inghirami and his colleagues were Medici clients: On September 1, 1466, for example, the Volterran faction headed by Inghirami received orders from Piero to hurry “with as many soldiers as possible for the salvation of His Magnificence in Florence and of his state”(see Lorenzo, Lettere, I, 548).
a loan to the king of Naples: Rinuccini, Ricordi Storici, CXVII.
give Lorenzo full power to arbitrate the dispute: Lorenzo, Lettere, I, 549.
“malcontents who do not wish to be governed by [Lorenzo]”: Ibid., 550.
De Medici Lorenzo, his spirit: Simonetta, “Federico da Montefeltro contro Firenze,” Archivio Storico Italiano, 262. Giovanni Santi, “The Life and Jest of Federico da Montefeltro.”
“the destruction of the house of Medici”: Lorenzo, Lettere, I, 551.
“Better a lean peace”: Ross Williamson, 129.
he might yet achieve his goals without war: Lettere, I, 365. Sacramoro to Galeazzo, March 18, 1472, in which he writes, “Lorenzo hopes shortly to find a way to sow discord among those Volterrans who now govern the city, and told me that he has already begun.”
lose his dependence on the court of Milan: Ibid., I, 552.
“by a crowd of mad adventurers”: Dei, 27 verso.
“not observing their agreements”: Lorenzo, Lettere, I, 367.
Cries also went out: Dei, 28 recto.
the gates of Volterra were opened to the victorious army: Lorenzo, Lettere, I, 386.
accosted by a soldier from Federico’s army: Machiavelli, Florentine Histories, VII, 31.
“Sack it! Sack it!”: Landucci, 11.
“the cruelty of the sack”: Rochon, 221.
“You have seen the afflicted and faithful friends”: Ross, Lives, 165.
a public apparently well satisfied with his services: Landucci, 11.
The news of the victory: Machiavelli, Florentine Histories, VII, 30.
CHAPTER XI: DOMESTIC TRANQUILLITY
“proud and combative, and rich with unlawful profits”: Compagni, Chronicle of Florence, I, i.
“the first citizen of the republic”: F. W. Kent, Lorenzo de’ Medici and the Art of Magnificence, 62.
“thinking to achieve more than even Cosimo and Piero”: Ibid., 62.
“and it seems to me very helpful to remember”: Rochon, 238.
If I have been later in responding: Lorenzo, Lettere, I, no. 61. Lorenzo to Tommaso Portinari, July 31, 1470.
His patience with subordinates: See de Roover, 274–75.
As he grew stronger: Francesco Guicciardini, History of Florence, 25.
“There are two principal things that men do”: Dale Kent, Cosimo de’ Medici and the Florentine Renaissance, 5.
relegates a mother’s contributions to the first years of life: Alberti, The Family in Renaissance Florence. See especially 82–84 on the role of the father in his son’s education.
“I write this letter to tell you”: Maguire, 160–61.
MAGNIFICENT FATHER MINE: Ross, Lives, 219–20.
“Please send me some figs”: Maguire, 100–101.
“some sugar-plums”: Ibid., 114.
Then near the Certosa: Ross, Lives, 270–71. Matteo Franco to Piero da Bibbiena, May 12, 1485.
“We are sending you by the bearer seventeen partridges”: Ibid., 152.
“Yesterday, though there was little wind”: Ibid., 150–51.
“Magnificent Lorenzo”: Ross, Lives, 56–57.
“Almost all other rich men”: Ficino, Letters, no. 17.
“client and pupil”: F. W. Kent, Lorenzo de’ Medici and the Art of Magnificence, 55.
“The children play about”: Maguire, 156. Poliziano to Lorenzo, August 26, 1479.
“I am anxiously awaiting news”: Ibid., 156.
“As to Giovanni, you will see”: Ibid., Poliziano to Lorenzo, April 6, 1479.
“I am here at Careggi”: Ibid., 164.
“I should be glad not to be turned into ridicule”: Ibid., 165. Clarice to Lorenzo May 28, 1479.
“Monna Clarice. I have been much annoyed”: Ibid., 165.
“We have arrived safely”: Ibid., 96.
Like his older brother: See Ficino, Letters, especially the dedication and nos. 18, 60, 61.
“I rejoice most heartily”: Roscoe, Life of Lorenzo de Medici, 407.
He was tall and sturdy: Poliziano, “The Pazzi Conspiracy,” in Humanism and Liberty, 183.
There is nothing new here: Reumont, 288–89. Niccolò Bendedei to Ercole d’Este, January 22, 1475.
27th September [1481]: Landucci, 31.
“He who doesn’t turn to the cross”: Courtney, 25.
“if one considers how life”: Rochon, 198.
“Our beautiful Florence”: Dei, “Letter to a Venetian,” in The Portable Renaissance Reader, 165–67.
a young apprentice in Verrocchio’s studio: See David Alan Brown, Leonardo da Vinci: Origins of a Genius for an in-depth discussion of Leonardo’s early relationship with Lorenzo.
Botticelli, Filippino Lippi, Perugino, and Domenico Ghirlandaio: See Baxandall, 26. This according to a report by the Milanese ambassador to Florence.
“Men of intellect and ability”: Francesco Guicciardini, History of Florence, IX.
“all from his own [the master’s] hand”: Baxandall, 22.
Nourishing Venus comes: Cheney, Botticelli’s Neoplatonic Images, 79.
CHAPTER XII: THE SHADOW OF ROME
“would be very acceptable”: Lorenzo, Lettere, I, 317.
“infinite blessings received”: Ibid., I, 317.
to add to his own collection: Ross, Lives, 155.
a native-born cardinal: Lorenzo, Lettere, I, 398.
“close to the hearts of all the citizens”: Ibid., I, 398.
“Surely this city is to be mourned”: Bracciolini, “The Ruins of Rome,” in The Portable Renaissance Reader, 379–84.
“In order not to trouble Your Blessedness”: Lorenzo, Lettere, I, no. 115. Lorenzo to Sixtus, November 15, 1472.
unleashing a barrage of letters: Ibid., I, nos. 120–30.
“Such is the desire of Giuliano”: Rochon, 57.
“he [Lorenzo] does not wish him to make his way in the world”: Lorenzo, Lettere, I, 399. Sacramoro to Galeazzo Maria, April 9, 1472.
“your other self”: Ficino, Letters, no. 61.
“I wrote to Giuliano, my brother”: Lorenzo, Lettere, I, no. 147. Lorenzo to Filippo Sacramoro, October 28, 1473. The issue revolved around the possibility of a new league among the papacy, Milan, and Florence, against the erratic ambitions of Ferrante. That Lorenzo entrusted the negotiations to Giuliano is a
measure of his faith in him.
“Many times he told me”: Ibid., i. 399. Piero Vespucci to Lucrezia Tornabuoni, January 12, 1480.
Sometimes discord can spread: Lorenzo, “The Martyrdom of Saints John and Paul,” in Selected Writings, 111.
“I see no difficulty”: Ross, Lives, 170.
the ten-year-old Caterina: See Breisach, 269.
“O my son!”: Pastor, 250.
“For the Medici did not enjoy a lordship”: Francesco Guicciardini, Dialogue on the Government of Florence, 71.
CHAPTER XIII: UNDER THE SIGN OF MARS
“I was of the city that changed for the Baptist”: Dante, Inferno, xiii.
on Easter morning: Villani, VI, xxxviii.
Messer Pazzino de’ Pazzi: Compagni, III, 40.
rebellion of the Ciompi: For some vivid firsthand accounts of the revolt of the Ciompi, see The Chronicles of the Tumult of the Ciompi (Monash Publications in History) in which a number of contemporary chronicles have been collected.
“because the masses had chosen him”: Dale Kent, Rise of the Medici Faction in Florence, 5.
“since childhood he has been continually involved”: Brucker, The Civic World of Early Renaissance Florence, 34–35.
“Life without honor is a living death”: Frick, 77.
“People of superior refinement”: Davies, Democracy and Classical Greece, 114.
“Had it not been for this friendship”: Bisticci, 311.
“But although the Pazzi were Florentine nobles”: Francesco Guicciardini, History of Florence, 29.
“Yesterday Piero de’ Pazzi entered the city”: Strozzi, Lettere, no. 26.
“There was in Florence in those days a family”: Valori, 48.
insufficiently honored by the regime: Machiavelli, Florentine Histories, VIII, 2.
“mezo amoniti: See Lorenzo, Lettere II, note 3, 123.
“[T]hey will put in his place his relative Guglielmo”: Rubinstein, Government of Florence Under the Medici, 209.
Benedetto Dei lists Jacopo: Dei, 35v.
the Pazzi bank had been one of the few sufficiently trusted: See de Roover, 91.
“He was incredibly angry”: Poliziano, The Pazzi Conspiracy, in Humanism and Liberty, 171–83.
“His stature was short”: Ibid., 171.
“a very restless, spirited, and ambitious man”: Francesco Guicciardini, History of Florence, 30.
“believing that Fortune did him a thousand wrongs”: Pulci, Stanze sur la Giostra di Lorenzo de’ Medici, CXXXVII and CLV.
“Lorenzo asked [the Pazzi] not [to] supply the money”: Francesco Guicciardini, History of Florence, 30.
CHAPTER XIV: CONSPIRACY
“And since he [Francesco] was very friendly with Count Girolamo”: Machiavelli, Florentine Histories, VIII, 2.
“his state would not be worth a bean”: “Confession of Giovanni Battista da Montesecco,” in Roscoe, Appendix XV.
“devoid of knowledge of and also respect for the law”: Poliziano, “The Pazzi Conspiracy,” in Humanism and Liberty, 172.
“I wanted something important in your affairs”: Ficino, Letters, no. 117.
“Our delightful feasts all came to an end”: Pastor, 254. Stefano Infessura.
“depraved and malignant spirit”: Lorenzo, Lettere, II, 59.
“The matter is of utmost importance”: Ibid., II, no. 182.
And while in the letter of the said Count: Ibid.
“keep himself safe”: Fubini, “La Congiura dei Pazzi,” in Lorenzo de’ Medici: New Perspectives, 230.
“those who wish to engage in machinations”: Lorenzo, Lettere, II, 121. Lorenzo adds, significantly, that his internal enemies are doomed to failure unless they have the support of “the King or others” causing the rebellion of certain dependencies “as happened in the case of Volterra.”
I find that all of this comes from the same source: Ibid., II, no. 201. Lorenzo to Galeazzo, September 7, 1475.
“if it could be done without scandal”: Ibid., II, no. 240. Lorenzo to Baccio Ugolini, February 1, 1477.
Città di Castello: See ibid., II, Excursus I, 475–84 for the fullest explanation of the battle for Città di Castello.
“an example to all the lands of the Church”: Ibid., II, 476.
and began laying siege to the town: Dei, 71 verso.
“If you would have me see”: Pastor, 295. Girolamo Riario to Lorenzo, October 26, 1474.
equivocated as he was prone to do: See Lorenzo, Lettere, II, no. 171. Lorenzo to Galeazzo Maria, August 6, 1474.
“all the Commune wished to go to the aid of Castello”: Ibid., II, 482.
“initiated new policies in Rome”: Ibid., II, 53. Galeazzo Maria to Sacramoro August 6, 1474.
“the stratagems, which he used in favor of the Pazzi”: Ibid., II, 53.
a defensive treaty between the two great republics of Italy: For detailed discussion of the complex negotiations see Lorenzo, Lettere, II, especially 5–8, 12–30, and 475–90, as well as Clarke, The Soderini and the Medici, 218–29.
the “faithlessness” of the Venetians: Lorenzo, Lettere, II, 487.
even over the objections of the duke: See Clarke, The Soderini and the Medici, 226.
celebrated with bonfires and fireworks in the piazzas: Rinuccini, Ricordi Storici, CXXIII.
“should Lorenzo pursue this league”: Simonetta, “Federico da Montefeltro contro Firenze,” Archivio Storico Italiano, 263.
“Italy…was divided into two factions”: Machiavelli, Florentine Histories, VIII, 2.
“an honor hitherto reserved”: Pastor, 261.
“prudence and manly courage”: Reumont, I, 197. Ferrante to Lorenzo, September 1466.
“I sent it to Renato de’ Pazzi”: Martines, April Blood, 103.
head of Medusa picked out in pearls: See Le Tems Revient ’L Tempo Si Rinuova: Feste e Spettacoli Nella Firenze di Lorenzo il Magnifico, 94–100, for a complete description of costumes for Giuliano’s joust.
“that bridles and gives rein to the magnanimous Tuscans”: Poliziano, Stanze sur la Giostra di Giuliano, IV.
“And you know”: Ibid., II, xi.
“The air seems to turn dark”: Ibid., II, xxxiv–xxxv.
CHAPTER XV: MURDER IN THE CATHEDRAL
the practical benefits of hard steel: See Lubkin, 116–17.
bodyguard of fifty mounted crossbowmen and fifty foot soldiers: Ibid., 235.
he feared they might be plotting against him: See Ibid., 239. Whether or not his fears had any basis in reality is debatable. Rumors about his mother are even less plausible.
“lust—and that one I have in full perfection”: Ibid., 200.
turning his daughters into common whores: Ibid.
“handsome youth was not yet sixteen”: Pius II, 105.
“the most handsome creature ever seen”: Dei, 22 verso and 42 verso.
“Duca! Duca!”: Ilardi, 75.
“It was a worthy, laudable, manly deed”: Rinuccini, Ricordi Storici, CXXV.
“a thousand times”: Ilardi, 75.
to proclaim the republic’s unwavering support: See ibid., 97.
“as long as he had life in his body”: Ibid.
“As she was thus dead”: Lorenzo, Commento, Argument 1.
“having decided not to get involved in this affair”: Hook, 89.
“Idleness has so gained the upper hand”: Reumont, 308.
“It seemed as if men”: Ibid.
[I]t would please me much for the State: Ibid., 318.
“saying that he feared”: Machiavelli, Florentine Histories, VIII, 2.
for which he agreed to furnish men and logistical support: Simonetta, “Federico da Montefeltro contro Firenze,” in Archivio Storico Italiano, n. 596, a. CLXI, 2003 II.
“his majesty would never consent”: Ibid., 263.
the archbishop’s residence in Rome: See the “Confession of Giovanni Battista da Montesecco,” reproduced in Roscoe, Life of Lorenzo de Medici, Appendix XV.
before word of the con
spiracy leaked out: See ibid.: “And as I have said, many times it was discussed in the chambers of the Count…how things could not long go on as they had…the undertaking being on so many tongues.”
“man of letters, virtuous and of substance”: Archivio di Stato di Firenze, Mediceo Avanti il Principato, filza 34, no. 275. Girolamo Riario to Lorenzo de’ Medici.
implicated in the 1466 plot to overthrow Piero: See Fubini, “La Congiura dei Pazzi: Radici Politico-Sociali e Ragioni di un Fallimento,” in Lorenzo de’ Medici: New Perspectives. Jacopo di Poggio Bracciolini was the one figure implicated in both the plots of 1466 and 1478.
“so well disposed”: Confession of Giovanni Battista da Montesecco, reproduced in Roscoe, Life of Lorenzo de Medici, Appendix XV.
his preference for life in the country: Hook, 96.
“cold as ice”: Ibid., 96.
fifty on foot had accompanied the count of Montesecco: Martines, April Blood, 114.
“Again [the conspirators] sent a servant”: Poliziano, “The Pazzi Conspiracy,” in Humanism and Liberty, 175.
“They did not think there would be time”: Francesco Guicciardini, History of Florence, IV.
“where God would see him”: Ross, Lives, 189.
a favorable impression of his intended victim: See Valori, 51–52.
“Your illness seems to have made you fat”: Ibid., 52.
CHAPTER XVI: THE BLOODSTAINED PAVEMENT
“Going out through the church towards home myself”: Poliziano. “The Pazzi Conspiracy,” in Humanism and Liberty, 177.
Francesco Salviati, along with Poggio Bracciolini: See Rinuccini, Ricordi Storici, CXXVII.
he and his men made straight for the Palace of the Priors: See ibid., CXXXVII.
“very secret business”: Ibid., CXXXVII.
the ancient cry of Florentine revolution: See ibid., CXXVII.
“[A]nd so for the most part ended”: Rinuccini, Ricordi Storici, CXXVIII.
“Neither his wound nor his fear”: Poliziano, “The Pazzi Conspiracy,” in Humanism and Liberty, 179.
My Most Illustrious Lords: Lorenzo, Lettere, III, no. 272.
“There, armed men were everywhere”: Poliziano, “The Pazzi Conspiracy,” in Humanism and Liberty, 177.
I was in Santa Liperata just then: Narratives, April Blood, 122.
“I commend myself to you”: Hook, 100.
“amongst others a priest of the bishop’s was killed”: Landucci, 16.
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