Piero di Cosimo de' Medici (the
Gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intens ...
y), (Italian: ''Piero "il Gottoso"'') (1416 – 2 December 1469) was the ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...
'' ruler of
Florence
Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...
from 1464 to 1469, during the Italian
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...
.
Biography
Piero was the son of
Cosimo de' Medici
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 – 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who established the Medici family as effective rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance. His power derived from his wealth ...
the Elder and
Contessina de' Bardi. During his father's life, he did not play an extensive role due to his perpetual poor health, the source of his nickname. His brother Giovanni was named as Cosimo's executor, but predeceased his father. In 1461, Piero was the last
Medici
The House of Medici ( , ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici, in the Republic of Florence during the first half of the 15th century. The family originated in the Mu ...
elected to the office of
Gonfaloniere
The Gonfalonier (in Italian: ''Gonfaloniere'') was the holder of a highly prestigious communal office in medieval and Renaissance Italy, notably in Florence and the Papal States. The name derives from ''gonfalone'' (in English, gonfalon), the t ...
. His
gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intens ...
often kept him confined to bed. This meant that his bedroom effectively became his office, where he would conduct political meetings. This led to the Medici palace becoming the seat of government in Florence.
Upon taking over the
Medici bank from his father, Piero had a financial overview prepared. The results led him to call up a number of long-standing loans, many to various Medici supporters, which his father had let stand. This immediately drove a good number of the merchants involved into bankruptcy and added to the ranks of those who opposed the Medici. Although not as brilliant a banker as his father, he was able to keep things running smoothly during his tenure.
His time as leader of Florence was marked by an attempted
coup led by
Luca Pitti, Niccolò Soderini,
Diotisalvi Neroni,
Angelo Acciaiuoli and his cousin
Pierfrancesco de' Medici, who used troops provided by
Borso d'Este,
Duke of Modena and Reggio, and commanded by his brother
Ercole d'Este
Ercole I d'Este KG (English: ''Hercules I''; 26 October 1431 – 25 January 1505) was Duke of Ferrara from 1471 until 1505. He was a member of the House of Este. He was nicknamed ''North Wind'' and ''The Diamond''.
Biography
Ercole was born i ...
, planned for 26 August 1466. Piero was warned by
Giovanni II Bentivoglio
Giovanni II Bentivoglio (12 February 144315 February 1508) was an Italian nobleman who ruled as tyrant of Bologna from 1463 until 1506. He had no formal position, but held power as the city's "first citizen." The Bentivoglio family ruled over Bol ...
and was able to escape the coup, in part because his son Lorenzo discovered a road-block set up by the conspirators to capture Piero in his trip toward the Medici
Villa di Careggi
The Villa Medici at Careggi is a patrician villa in the hills near Florence, Tuscany, central Italy.
History
The villa was among the first of a number of Medici villas, notable as the site of the Platonic Academy founded by Cosimo de' Medici ...
; he was not recognized and was able to warn his father. The coup failed, as did an attempted repeat backed by
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...
, using troops commanded by
Bartolomeo Colleoni. It has been argued
that the "coup" was in fact a legitimate attempt to limit the power of the Medici faction and restore a system of government in keeping with Florence's traditional republican ideals, and that to refer to it as a "coup" or a "conspiracy" legitimizes Piero's ''de facto'' and hereditary (but wholly unconstitutional) status as leader of the city.
In 1467, Piero had to face a war against the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice ( vec, Repùblega de Venèsia) or Venetian Republic ( vec, Repùblega Vèneta, links=no), traditionally known as La Serenissima ( en, Most Serene Republic of Venice, italics=yes; vec, Serenìsima Repùblega de Venèsia ...
prompted by the Florentine support given to
Galeazzo Maria Sforza
Galeazzo Maria Sforza (24 January 1444 – 26 December 1476) was the fifth Duke of Milan from 1466 until his assassination a decade later. He was notorious for being lustful, cruel, and tyrannical.
He was born to Francesco Sforza, a popu ...
, the new
duke of Milan. However, the Venetian army under Colleoni was defeated at the
Battle of Molinella
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict=Battle of Molinella
, image= Malpaga5.JPG
, image_size = 320
, caption=Depiction of the battle in the Malpaga Castle
, partof=
, date=July 25, 1467
, place= Molinella, Province of Bologna
, result=indecisi ...
by a league of Florence,
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adm ...
, the
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; it, Stato Pontificio, ), officially the State of the Church ( it, Stato della Chiesa, ; la, Status Ecclesiasticus;), were a series of territories in the Italian Peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope fro ...
and Milan.
He also continued the family's tradition of artistic patronage, including
Gozzoli's fresco ''
Procession of the Magi'' in the
Palazzo Medici Riccardi
The Palazzo Medici, also called the Palazzo Medici Riccardi after the later family that acquired and expanded it, is a Renaissance palace located in Florence, Italy. It is the seat of the Metropolitan City of Florence and a museum.
Overview ...
(in which are also present both of Piero's sons,
Lorenzo and
Giuliano, as well as Piero himself). His taste was more eclectic than that of his father, extending to Dutch and Flemish artworks.
He continued to collect rare books, adding many to the Medici collections. With a strong interest in humanism, he commissioned
Marsilio Ficino
Marsilio Ficino (; Latin name: ; 19 October 1433 – 1 October 1499) was an Italian scholar and Catholic priest who was one of the most influential humanist philosophers of the early Italian Renaissance. He was an astrologer, a revive ...
to translate Plato & other classical works. Ficino dedicated several books to him, such as
De Sole.
He died in 1469 as a result of gout and lung disease and is buried in the
Church of San Lorenzo, next to his brother
Giovanni. The tomb, created by
Andrea del Verrocchio
Andrea del Verrocchio (, , ; – 1488), born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was a sculptor, Italian painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence. He apparently became known as ''Verrocchio'' after the ...
, was commissioned by his sons Lorenzo and Giuliano.
Marriage and Issue
On 3 June 1444, Piero married
Lucrezia Tornabuoni
Lucrezia Tornabuoni (22 June 1427 – 25 March 1482) was an influential Italian political adviser and author during the 15th century. She was a member of one of the most powerful Italian families of the time and married Piero di Cosimo de' Medic ...
(1427–1482). Their children include
Lorenzo the Magnificent and
Giuliano de' Medici
Giuliano de' Medici (25 October 1453 – 26 April 1478) was the second son of Piero de' Medici (the Gouty) and Lucrezia Tornabuoni. As co-ruler of Florence, with his brother Lorenzo the Magnificent, he complemented his brother's image as the ...
. All his family is likely portrayed in the famous painting by Botticelli known as the
Madonna of the Magnificat
The ''Madonna of the Magnificat'' ( it, Madonna del Magnificat), is a painting of circular or '' tondo'' form by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli. It is also referred to as the ''Virgin and Child with Five Angels.'' In the ''ton ...
, in which Lucrezia Tornabuoni appears as the Virgin Mary.
In all, Lucrezia gave birth at least six children:
*
Bianca (1445–1505) – married Guglielmo
Pazzi
*
Lucrezia "Nannina" (1448–1493)
*
Lorenzo the Magnificent (1449–1492)
*
Giuliano (1453–1478)
*
Maria (
it) (After 1553 - 1479) – married Leonetto Rossi and was the mother of Cardinal
Luigi de' Rossi (
it). It is uncertain whether she was actually the daughter of Lucrezia or a natural daughter of Piero.
*Two sons died as newborn
Before his marriage, Piero had an illegitimate son by an unknown woman:
*Giovanni. He married Luigia di Giovanni de' Medici
Fictional depictions
A young Piero is portrayed by
Alessandro Sperduti in the 2016 television series ''
Medici: Masters of Florence''. An older Piero is portrayed by
in the second season, ''Medici: The Magnificent''.
References
Sources
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*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Medici, Piero Di Cosimo De'
Rulers of Florence
1416 births
1469 deaths
Piero di Cosimo
15th-century people of the Republic of Florence
Italian bankers
Medieval bankers
15th-century rulers in Europe
Italian art patrons
15th-century Italian businesspeople