Lorenzo de' Medici

: The exact same full name was also carried by his grandson Lorenzo (1492 - 1519), Duke of Urbino, with whom he is sometimes confused.

Later years

One area in which he was not successful was business; during his tenure several branches of the family bank collapsed because of bad loans, and in later years he got into financial difficulties himself, and resorted to mis-appropriating trust and state funds for his own needs.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Toward the end of Lorenzo's life, Florence came under the spell of Savonarola, who believed that Christians had strayed too far into Greco-Roman culture. Oddly enough, Lorenzo played a role in bringing Savonarola to Florence, even though Savonarola disliked popular art and music - two things that Lorenzo admired.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Two of his sons later became powerful popes. His second son, Giovanni, became Pope Leo X, and his adopted son Giulio (who was the illegitimate son of his slain brother Giuliano) became Pope Clement VII.

Related Topics:
Pope Leo X - Giuliano - Pope Clement VII

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Unfortunately, his first son and his political heir, Piero 'the Unfortunate' squandered his father's patrimony and brought down his father's dynasty in Florence. Another Medici, his brother Giovanni, restored it, but it was only made wholly secure again on the accession of a distant relative from a branch line of the family, Cosimo I de' Medici.

Related Topics:
Piero 'the Unfortunate' - Giovanni - Cosimo I de' Medici

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Lorenzo de' Medici died peacefully during the night of April 8th/9th, 1492, at the long-time family villa of Careggi (Florentine reckoning considers days to begin at sunset, so his death date is the 9th in that reckoning). Lorenzo summoned Savonarola to his death bed seeking absolution, but Savonarola damned Lorenzo, commanding him to confess his sins, indecencies and pride, and to give the Florentines back their liberty. Lorenzo turned his face to the wall to avoid the verbal abuse. As Lorenzo died, the tower of the church of Santa Reparata was allegedly struck by lightning. He and his brother Giuliano are buried together in a tomb in the Medici chapel in the Church of San Lorenzo; it is ornamented with the Madonna and Child of Michelangelo.

Related Topics:
Savonarola - Giuliano - Medici chapel - Church of San Lorenzo - Michelangelo

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

He died at the dawn of "the age of exploration"; Christopher Columbus would reach the "New World" only six months later. There is a Lorenzo memorial in Florence, Italy.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~