Lorenzo de’ Medici

Medici, Lorenzo de' (Florentine statesman, patron, 1449-1492)

Note: Florentine statesman, ruler, and patron of arts and letters. He ruled Florence with his younger brother, Giuliano from 1469-1478, and as sole ruler from 1478-1492. While professing to follow constitutional methods, he made sure that popular assemblies lost their financial powers. Contemporary historians described him as a benevolent tyrant in a constitutional republic. He was popular and feted the city with carnivals, balls, tournaments, weddings, and princely receptions. He withstood attempts by rivals to overthrow his power, including the Pazzi Conspiracy, in which his brother, Giuliano, was assassinated. He is traditionally remembered as a great patron of the arts, in large part responsible for the flourishing of the Italian Renaissance in Florence, although some modern scholars maintain that this claim is exaggerated. Italian art patron.

LC name authority rec. n78085428

LC Heading: Medici, Lorenzo de', 1449-1492