The Pazzi Conspiracy
On Easter Sunday, 26 April 1478, the city of Florence became the stage for one of the most audacious political assassinations of the Renaissance. Known as the Pazzi Conspiracy, the plot aimed to eliminate the ruling Medici brothers—Lorenzo de’ Medici and Giuliano de’ Medici—and shatter their dominance over Florentine politics. The attack failed spectacularly, but its consequences were swift, brutal, and public.
The conspiracy was driven by the Pazzi family, long-standing rivals of the Medici, and supported by powerful external forces. Pope Sixtus IV, angered by Medici interference in papal finances and territorial ambitions, gave tacit approval. His nephew, Girolamo Riario, and Francesco de’ Pazzi coordinated the plot with disaffected Florentine nobles. Their plan relied on surprise, symbolism, and
bloodshed in the city’s most sacred space. The assassins chose Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore) during High Mass, when both brothers would be present and guards minimal. As the priest elevated the Host, conspirators struck. Giuliano was attacked by multiple assailants and stabbed repeatedly—he suffered more than a dozen wounds and died on the cathedral floor. Lorenzo, however, escaped death. Though slashed across the neck, he fought free and fled into the cathedral’s sacristy, barricaded by loyal supporters. The failure to kill Lorenzo doomed the conspiracy almost immediately. News spread rapidly through Florence. The city, fiercely loyal to the Medici, erupted in violent reprisal. Conspirators were hunted down within hours. Francesco de’ Pazzi and Jacopo de’ Pazzi were captured, beaten, and hanged from the windows of the Palazzo della Signoria, their bodies left on display as a warning. Others were lynched by mobs or executed without trial.
The punishment extended beyond individuals. The Pazzi name was erased from public life. Their property was seized, their coat of arms destroyed, and even the word Pazzi was removed from official records. Families associated with the plot were exiled or imprisoned. Florence sent a clear message: political murder would be answered with annihilation.
International repercussions followed. Pope Sixtus IV excommunicated Lorenzo and placed Florence under interdict, then backed a military campaign against the city. Lorenzo responded not with force but diplomacy, traveling personally to Naples to negotiate peace—a risky move that ultimately secured Florence’s survival and strengthened his authority.
The Pazzi Conspiracy exposed the lethal reality beneath Renaissance elegance. Power in Italy was maintained not by ideals or art, but by alliances, betrayal, and violence. Lorenzo emerged transformed—no longer merely il Magnifico, but an unchallenged ruler whose grip on Florence would shape Italian politics for decades.