Francesco Salviati (1443 – 1478) was the

archbishop of Pisa The Archdiocese of Pisa () is a Latin Church metropolitan see of the Catholic Church in Pisa, Italy.

from 1474 to 1478. He was one of the organisers of the

Pazzi conspiracy The Pazzi conspiracy () was a failed plot by members of the Pazzi family and others to displace the Medici family as rulers of Renaissance Florence. On 26 April 1478 there was an attempt to assassinate Lorenzo de' Medici and his brother ...

, a plot to displace the

Medici family The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first half of the 15th ...

as rulers of the

Florentine Republic The Republic of Florence (; Old Italian: ), known officially as the Florentine Republic, was a Italy in the Middle Ages, medieval and Italian Renaissance, early modern state that was centered on the Italian city-states, Italian city of Florence ...

; he was executed after the failure of the plot.

Biography

A blood-member of the

Salviati family The Salviati were an important family in the Republic of Florence. History Some sources trace the origins of the family to a Gottifredo who lived in Florence in the twelfth century. The first documented member of the family is Cambio di ...

(to whom

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

had re-awarded the papal banking contract after taking it away from the Medici), he was also related by marriage to the

Pazzi The Pazzi were a powerful family in the Republic of Florence. Their main trade during the fifteenth century was banking. In the aftermath of the Pazzi conspiracy in 1478, members of the family were banished from Florence and their property was ...

, Medici, Vettori, and other powerful families. Orphaned at a young age, Salviati was educated as a

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

but vied to succeed in the church, knowing he could not rise to power in the family after losing his father. Pro-Medici sources paint Salviati as a flatterer and gambler who lusted for the power that could be attained through church favour. In 1464, Salviati moved to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

to attach himself to

Francesco della Rovere Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

– who later became Pope Sixtus IV – and his nephews,

Girolamo Girolamo may refer to: * Girolamo (given name) * Girolamo (surname) See also * San Girolamo (disambiguation) San Girolamo may refer to: * San Girolamo, Italian for Saint Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of S ...

and

Pietro Riario Pietro Riario (1445 – 3 January 1474) was an Italian cardinal (Catholic), cardinal and Papal diplomat. Biography Born in Savona, he was the son of Paolo Riario and Pope Sixtus IVs' sister, Bianca Della Rovere. Sixtus nominated him bishop of T ...

. This paid off in his appointment as archbishop. The

, who ruled the

Republic of Florence The Republic of Florence (; Old Italian: ), known officially as the Florentine Republic, was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany, Italy. The republic originated in 1115, when the Flor ...

at the time, opposed his appointment as archbishop, and so Salviati met with several other individuals dissatisfied with the Medici's rule to plan the assassination of Lorenzo and Giuliano de ' Medici, co-rulers of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, in what later became known as the

. In spring 1478, Salviati sent his nephew

Raffaele Riario Raffaele Sansoni Galeoti Riario (3 May 1461 – 9 July 1521) was an Italian cardinal of the Renaissance, mainly known as the constructor of the Palazzo della Cancelleria and the person who invited Michelangelo to Rome. He was a patron of the ...

to lure Lorenzo and Giuliano into a trap by inviting them to

mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

at the

Santa Maria del Fiore Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christm ...

cathedral, where the attack would take place. When the bell that was rung during the elevation rang, Salviati was to go to the

Palazzo Vecchio The ( "Old Palace") is the town hall of Florence, Italy. It overlooks the , which holds a copy of Michelangelo's ''David'' statue, and the gallery of statues in the adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi. Originally called the ''Palazzo della Signoria'', a ...

, kill the

Gonfaloniere The Gonfalonier (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'' (English: "gonfalon"), the term ...

Petrucci and take possession of the

Palazzo della Signoria A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

, whilst the main killing occurred in the cathedral. However, upon arriving at the Palazzo Vecchio, Salviati was arrested by Petrucci and within an hour had been hanged by a lynch mob from the window of the

Sala dei Duecento Sala or SALA may refer to: Places Europe * Sala, the historical name of the river IJssel and home of the Salii Franks * Sala (Estonian island), one of the Uhtju islands * Sala Baganza, a municipality in Emilia-Romagna, Italy * Sala Bolognese, a ...

. In the end, the Pazzi plot failed due to Lorenzo surviving the assassination attempt, and most of the conspirators were promptly hunted down and executed. Salviati's death at the hands of the Florentines was a key factor of the

interdict In Catholic canon law, an interdict () is an ecclesiastical censure, or ban that prohibits certain persons or groups from participating in particular rites, or that the rites and services of the church are prohibited in certain territories for ...

placed upon Florence and the ensuing two years of war with the Papacy.

In popular culture

Francesco Salviati appears as a minor antagonist in the video game ''

Assassin's Creed II ''Assassin's Creed II'' is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the second major installment in the Assassin's Creed, ''Assassin's Creed'' series, and the sequel to 2007's ''Assassin's Creed ...

'', in which he is depicted as a member of the

Templar Order The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a military order of the Catholic faith, and one of the most important military orders in Western Christianity. They were founded in 11 ...

, who within the game's storyline are responsible for the Pazzi conspiracy. Salviati's role in the conspiracy is greatly reduced in the game, as he is merely ordered to lead Pazzi-allied troops into Florence after the attack on the Medici. Following the failure of the Pazzi plot, Salviati is able to flee to his villa in the Tuscan countryside (an unfortunate farmer having been hanged in Florence in his place), only to be hunted down and assassinated in 1479 by Ezio Auditore. Jacob Fortune-Lloyd portrays Salviati in the second season of the drama series '' Medici: Masters of Florence''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Salviati, Francesco Roman Catholic archbishops of Pisa 15th-century Italian Roman Catholic archbishops 1478 deaths

Francesco Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...

Deaths by hanging Lynching deaths Year of birth unknown 1443 births