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Lorenzo II de' Medici | |
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| Ruler of Florence | |
| Reign | 17 March 1516 – 4 May 1519 |
| Predecessor | Giuliano de' Medici |
| Successor | Giulio de' Medici |
| Born | 12 September 1492 Florence, Republic of Florence |
| Died | 4 May 1519(1519-05-04) (aged 26) Careggi, Republic of Florence |
| Noble family | Medici |
| Spouse(s) | Madeleine de La Tour d'Auvergne |
| Issue | Catherine, Queen of France Alessandro de' Medici, Duke of Florence(illegitimate) |
| Father | Piero the Unfortunate |
| Mother | Alfonsina Orsini |
Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (Italian:[loˈrɛntsodiˈpjɛːrodeˈmɛːditʃi]; 12 September 1492 – 4 May 1519) was the ruler ofFlorence from 1516 until his death in 1519. He was alsoDuke of Urbino during the same period. A scion of theMedici, his wealth and power saw his daughterCatherine de' Medici becomeQueen Consort of France, while his recognised but illegitimate son,Alessandro de' Medici, inherited his estate and became the firstDuke of Florence.
Lorenzo was born inFlorence on 12 September 1492, a son ofPiero di Lorenzo de' Medici andAlfonsina Orsini.[2] His paternal grandparents wereLorenzo the Magnificent andClarice Orsini.[2] His maternal grandparents were RobertoOrsini, Count ofTagliacozzo and his wife, Catherine ofSan Severino.
Lorenzo II became lord of Florence in August 1513, after his uncle,Giuliano de' Medici, handed over control of its government. Ambitious by nature, Lorenzo II, despite being appointed Captain of the Florentine militia, lacked patience with Florence's republican system of government and thus, in 1516, convinced his uncle,Pope Leo X to make him Duke of Urbino at the age of 24.[3] So began a conflict with the city's previous duke,Francesco Maria I della Rovere. During the protractedWar of Urbino, Delle Rovere recaptured the city, only to have Medici —commanding a 10,000-man Papal army — in turn, retake the city. During battle, Lorenzo was wounded, which prompted him to retire to Tuscany. In September 1517, he regained Urbino via treaty; however, it remained under the Medici family's rule for only two years. In 1521 the duchy reverted to theDella Rovere family.[3]
On 13 June 1518, Lorenzo marriedMadeleine de La Tour, daughter of the Count ofAuvergne.[4] The marriage produced a daughter, Catherine, in 1519.Catherine de' Medici went on to become Queen of France, via a marriage to the future KingHenry II of France, arranged by the second Medici Pope,Pope Clement VII.[5]
Only 21 days after Catherine de' Medici's birth, Lorenzo II died, "worn out by disease and excess."[6] Thus his daughter Catherine was raised primarily by the Medici Popes, Leo X and Clement VII, and their surrogates.
Lorenzo II's tomb is in theMedici Chapel of Florence'sChurch of San Lorenzo. There is disagreement over which of the two tombs is Lorenzo II's. The received view is that Lorenzo's tomb that is adorned byMichelangelo's sculpturePensieroso, which offers an idealized portrait of Lorenzo II, and that its companion piece, also sculpted by Michelangelo, represents Lorenzo II's uncleGiuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici. But historian Richard Trexler has argued that Lorenzo II, having been Captain of the Florentine militia, must be the figure holding the baton, symbol of military authority conferred by the Republic. Trexler also notes that the "Pensieroso" is holding a mappa, the symbol of military authority in ancient Rome, which would be an appropriate symbol for Giuliano di Lorenzo, who was appointed Captain of Roman forces. In sharing the same name with his illustrious ancestor,Lorenzo the Magnificent, the Duke's tomb is often mistaken for that of his grandfather.[7][8]
Famously,Niccolò Machiavelli dedicated his politicaltreatiseThe Prince to Lorenzo to advise him of tactics to use to maintain his authority.[9]
By his wife, Lorenzo had only a daughter:
BySimonetta, a servant girl of his mother Alfonsina, he had an illegitimate son:
| Ancestors of Lorenzo de' Medici, Duke of Urbino |
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Lorenzo II de' Medici Born: 12 September 1492 Died: 4 May 1519 | ||
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| Preceded by | Duke of Urbino 1516–1519 | Succeeded by |
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