The Pazzi Conspiracy

by Aishah Bashir

Today, we are diving into the scandalous and luxurious life of the infamous Medici Family. The Medicis were an Italian banking family that ruled over Florence, Italy, for 300 years. They were feared, conspired against, bedeviled, and detested by many. The notorious family reigned with a ruthless and iron grip. 

Still, the more infamous leaders of the family and the capital of Italy were Lorenzo the Magnificent and Cosimo the Elder. These two were the most respected and admired, above all the many Medici who were powerful leaders! Their higher status in the family tree and their male gender identity ensured they were the controlling figureheads of the Medici Enterprise, but it took more than just nepotism to make it in this tough city. They had to be merciless to maintain their widespread, deeply rooted fear in the city, for so many other families and individuals wanted the ruling seat and were willing to pay for it in blood. 

And this Spring is no short reminder of their notorious rule, for April 26th is the 548th anniversary of the violent event known forever as The Pazzi Conspiracy.

On April 26th, 1478, a bloody coup d’etat attempt was carried out against the Medicis by the Pazzi family. 

The specific targets: Lorenzo the Magnificent and his brother, Giuliano de Medici. 

Pope Sixtus the fourth, Raffaello della Rovere, was labelled the puppeteer of the conspiracy to murder the famed brother because he had wished that his nephew, Girolamo Riario, be named the Lord or Leader of Florence. 

However, he did not work alone. The sovereign pontiff of the Catholic Church could not simply state his wishes to murder the leaders of Florence (thou shalt not kill, and what have you), so instead he expressed his contempt against Lorenzo specifically and his wishes to see a new leader. 

The pope said, “Whoever works against the Medici reign will be kindly dealt with.” In other words, he could not STAND the Medicis, and whoever does something about it will be in his good graces; this is why it is speculated that he had an active role within the conspiracy. For he indirectly put a bounty on their heads and told the rest of the Catholic world, ” Do with that information what you will. And many influential families and figures in Florence DID do something about it, especially the Pazzi family, which is a noble banking family in Florence. 

The time of the planned assassination was Holy Sunday. Easter Mass. And the location would be Piazza del Santa Maria del Fiore, the Duomo, with the watching eyes of all the Florentine citizens. 

Bernando Bardini and Francesco di Pazzi stabbed the brothers in the back, successfully killing Giuliano and injuring Lorenzo, who narrowly escaped. Lorenzo, after cheating death and crawling out of the Duomo, was infuriated. Once the chaos of morning mass had died down (so much for an easter egg hunt), he went on a massive rampage through Florence and was able to locate both of his brother’s killers within only a few hours of the event. 

Now you may be wondering. How did he find them so quickly? Well, while the Pazzi were right to assume that so many people would be happy to see the Medicis either dead, without power, or both, they severely underestimated the even greater number of people who still adored Lorenzo nonetheless. And former families who had a hand in the conspiracy had already immediately betrayed the Pazzi’s and disclosed their plans, as well as their whereabouts, directly to Lorenzo. Soon enough, Lorenzo had Badini and Pazzi hanged from the windows of Palazzo Vecchio for all of Florence to see. And the remaining accomplices who managed to escape the church were captured, tortured, and killed. It was said that their naked bodies were dragged through the streets of Florence and dumped in the Arno River. 

Fun fact: Pazzi, in Italian, translates to crazy people (plural of Pazzo, crazy) 

Which is very fitting because one would HAVE to be crazy to even think about going against Lorenzo the Magnificent. And that is the story of the first and only coup d’etat attempt that took place in Florence, Italy, against the Medici Family. 

So the next time you walk past the Duomo, or on your next stroll past Palazzo Vecchio, you’ll be walking through a slice of history, deeply understanding the knowledge of Florence’s rich background of the Medici family.