By William Landon, Northern Kentucky University
The Strozzi household was responsible for raising and educating the illegitimate Alessandro de’ Medici, born circa 1510, and his cousin Lorenzino de’ Medici, who was a member of the Popolano line, which traced its lineage to Cosimo de’ Medici’s younger brother Lorenzo. On the whole, the Popolano refrained from participating in the political arena.
Lineage of Alessandro and Lorenzino
There is no scholarly consensus concerning Alessandro’s parentage. Some historians argue that Alessandro was fathered by Lorenzo de’ Medici, while others believe he was fathered by Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici. That Alessandro’s mother was of African descent is, however, agreed by all. He was called Il Moro—the Moor—as a result of his dark complexion and African features.
Lorenzino de’ Medici’s lineage made him part of the lesser Medici line. His family had been at odds with the main line of the Medici family since the 1440s, and they had done their level best to retain their independence from Cosimo’s progeny.
This article comes directly from content in the video series How the Medici Shaped the Renaissance. Watch it now, on Wondrium.
Giulio: The Gran Maestro of Florence
At Lorenzo de’ Medici’s funeral in 1519, the chief mourner, who headed the funeral procession, chose to dress in scarlet from head-to-toe and carry a tremendous bunch of red roses. This symbolism wasn’t lost on Florence’s republicans, who realized that the Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici, whose robes were crimson, would be the next Medici to run Florence. And with the blessing of his cousin, Pope Leo X, he did so carefully and with real insight.
As gran maestro of Florence, a title he was given upon Lorenzo’s death, Giulio guided the Florentine government into a period of prosperity and general contentment. He even went so far as to open talks with the city’s republicans, agreeing to take their advice, when applicable, to create open lines of communication between Florence’s Medicean and republican factions, and perhaps to reinstall a republican form of government at Florence.
Giulio’s Campaign for St. Peter’s Throne
When Pope Leo X died in 1521, Cardinal Giulio had almost certainly already prepared himself to be skipped over at the papal conclave, which elected Adrian VI as pontiff. Giulio bided his time and focused his energies on Florentine prosperity and on solidifying his own rule.
In 1522, a republican conspiracy to assassinate Giulio was exposed. Many of those who were executed and exiled in its aftermath were the same men Giulio had courted with promises of republican reform. One wonders if Giulio had ingratiated himself to those men so that he might know who his enemies in Florence were. Because as soon as the conspirators of 1522 had been destroyed, Giulio, once again, sought the advice of Florence’s remaining republicans. The prospects were tempting. He promised that the city might, perhaps, be returned to a truly republican form of government. Very few took him up on his offers. They had seen what had happened to their comrades.
A few months later, in 1523, Adrian VI died, and this time, Giulio campaigned hard for St. Peter’s throne. He was elected Pope Clement VII in November of 1523, at which point, he vacated Florence for Rome.
Alessandro and Ippolito’s Rule
Clement left none other than Alessandro de’ Medici, who may have been the pope’s illegitimate son, and Ippolito de’ Medici, Giuliano de’ Medici’s only son, also illegitimate, to rule Florence in his absence.
What followed were four years of disaster. Under Alessandro’s and Ippolito’s rule, hatred for the Medici reached yet another high point. They were ruthless and self-aggrandizing, and they lacked Clement VII’s subtlety and cleverness. The Florentine economy went into yet another recession, and more broadly, Italy had become the second theater of the Wars Religion.
In 1527, an army of German Protestants under the employ of the Most Catholic Emperor Charles V put Rome to the sack. He was horrified by what they did. The Germans had not been paid, and their commander, without Charles’ knowledge, permitted them to take their pay from Rome. What followed was a massacre. Sacred places were pillaged, priests were humiliated, tortured and mutilated, and nuns were violated in the most horrible ways. Clement VII, dressed as a peasant, with his pockets stuffed full of the largest gems in the papal treasury, was captured as he fled the city.
In Florence, the republicans realized that this was their moment to act. They chased the Medici bastards from their city and declared that, after nearly a decade and a half of Medici tyranny, Florence was once again free.
They instituted Florence’s last republic, and then set about fortifying it.
Common Questions about the End of Medici Rule in Medici
Some historians argue that Alessandro was fathered by Lorenzo de’ Medici, while others believe he was fathered by Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici. That Alessandro’s mother was of African descent is, however, agreed by all. He was called Il Moro—the Moor—as a result of his dark complexion and African features.
At Lorenzo de’ Medici’s funeral in 1519, the chief mourner, who headed the funeral procession, chose to dress in scarlet from head-to-toe, and to carry a tremendous bunch of red roses. This symbolism wasn’t lost on Florence’s republicans, who realized that the Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici, whose robes were crimson, would be the next Medici to run Florence.
Alessandro de’ Medici and Ippolito de’ Medici ruled Florence for four years. Under their rule, hatred for the Medici reached yet another high point. They were ruthless and self-aggrandizing, and they lacked Clement VII’s subtlety and cleverness. The Florentine economy went into yet another recession, and more broadly, Italy had become the second theater of the Wars Religion.
