Pierfrancesco de' Medici the Elder (1430 – 19 July 1476) was an Italian nobleman, banker, diplomat, and a member of the

House of 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 M ...

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 ...

Biography

Born in Florence, he was the son of

Lorenzo the Elder Lorenzo the Elder (c. 1395 – 23 September 1440) was an Italian banker of the House of Medici of Florence, the younger brother of Cosimo de' Medici the Elder and progenitor of the so-called "Popolani" ("populist, i.e. for the people") line o ...

and Ginevra Cavalcanti, thus a nephew 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 ...

and cousin to Piero the Gouty, ''

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 ...

'' lords of the city from 1459. Pierfrancesco was orphaned in 1440 and was raised by his uncle Cosimo. He served the

Republic of Florence The Republic of Florence, officially the Florentine Republic ( it, Repubblica Fiorentina, , or ), was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany. The republic originated in 1115, when the Fl ...

as ambassador (to the pope in 1458 and to the

Duchy of Mantua The Duchy of Mantua was a duchy in Lombardy, northern Italy. Its first duke was Federico II Gonzaga, member of the House of Gonzaga that ruled Mantua since 1328. The following year, the Duchy also acquired the March of Montferrat, thanks to ...

in 1463) and as ''Priore delle Arti'' ("Prior of the

Guild A guild ( ) is an association of artisans and merchants who oversee the practice of their craft/trade in a particular area. The earliest types of guild formed as organizations of tradesmen belonging to a professional association. They sometim ...

s") in the Florentine municipal government (1459). After Cosimo's death (1464), Pierfrancesco was initially a supporter of Piero the Gouty, but later sided against him; he was among the conspirators who participated in

Luca Pitti Luca Pitti (1398–1472) was a Florentine banker during the period of the republic presided over by Cosimo de' Medici. He was awarded a knighthood, and received lavish presents from both the Signory of Firenze and the Medici family as a reward ...

's failed coup in 1466. Forgiven by Piero, he thenceforth took care of the family bank. From his marriage with Laudomia di Agnolo

Acciaioli The Acciaioli, Acciaiuoli, Accioly, Acciajuoli or Acioli was an important family of Florence. Family name is also written Acciaioli, Acciainoli, or Accioly, Accioli, Acioli and Acyoly in Portugal and Brazil, where there are branches of it. Descent ...

he had two sons: Lorenzo (1463–1503) and Giovanni (1467–1498), who were later fierce opponents of Cosimo's line of the Medici. Pierfrancesco died in 1476. His sons were adopted by their second cousin

Lorenzo il Magnifico Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (; 1 January 1449 – 8 April 1492) was an Italian statesman, banker, ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic and the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Also known as Lorenzo ...

. File:Lorenzo il popolano, xv century.jpg, Lorenzo File:Lippi - Portrait of a Youth - National Gallery of Art (cropped).jpg, Giovanni {{DEFAULTSORT:Medici, Pierfrancesco 1 1430 births 1476 deaths Pierfrancesco 1 Italian bankers 15th-century people of the Republic of Florence Medieval Italian diplomats Medieval bankers Ambassadors of the Republic of Florence 15th-century diplomats 15th-century Italian businesspeople