Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (January 1, 1449 - April 9, 1492) was an Italian patrician and ruler of The City-State Era and The Renaissance.
Born in the powerful House of Medici that made its wealth in banking and de facto ruled the Republic of Florence, his reign over said republic marked a golden age for it, and his contemporaries nicknamed him "The Magnificent" ("il Magnifico"), for he was a very talented diplomat and famed patron of the arts (he sponsored some of the most illustrious names of the Italian Renaissance, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti and Sandro Botticelli, among others).
Very influent among Italian states of his era, he worked to both keep the Holy Roman Empire and the kingdom of France out of Italy (which wouldn't last past his death, as the Italian Wars erupted shortly thereafter) and stem the territorial ambitions of Pope Sixtus IV (born Francesco della Rovere), in the name of the balance of the Italic League of 1454 following the Treaty of Lodi.
Due to his stance against Papal ambitions, he became the target of the Pazzi Conspiracy (from the name of the rival family to the Medici) on April 26, 1478, which Sixtus sort of supported (the Pope couldn't support a murder, but he made it known the removal of the Medici served his interests). Lorenzo was attacked inside the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral in Florence, but escaped alive. However, his younger brother Giuliano was killed. The conspirators were hunted down and killed.
Through nepotism, his son Giovanni became Pope as Leo X, and his nephew Giulio (son of Giuliano) became Pope as well, as Clement VII. His great-granddaughter Caterina de' Medici (daughter of another Lorenzo de' Medici, his grandson and Duke of Urbino) wound up marrying King of France Henry II. Lorenzo died on April 9, 1492 at age 43 from an inherited gout that caused gangrene in one of his legs.
Portrayals in media:
Anime & Manga:Arts:
- Medici Chapels: On his tomb, there's a sculpture of him.
Films — Live-Action:
- The Devil In Love. Portrayed by Gabriele Ferzetti.
- Assassin's Creed: Lineage. Portrayed by Alex Ivanovici.
Literature:
Live-Action TV:
- Da Vinci's Demons, portrayed by Elliot Cowan.
- Leonardo, portrayed by Colin Ryan.
- Medici, portrayed by Daniel Sharman. Specifically, the two seasons dedicated to his life (The Magnificent, Part 1 and The Magnificent, Part 2) following the first season titled Masters of Florence that was about his grandfather Cosimo.
Theatre:
- Cesare - Il Creatore che ha distrutto (stage adaptation of the manga), played by Takuya Kon in the Filmed Stage Production.
Theme Park:
- Europa-Park's Haunted House, Geisterschloss, belongs to the Medici in its backstory for decades. The revamp of 2024 added many animatronics dressed like Renaissance Florence citizens and a statue of Lorenzo holding a snake.
Video Game:
- Assassin's Creed II: He became friends with the Assassin Giovanni Auditore after the latter saved him from drowning as a child, leading him to build close ties with the Assassin Order. Years later, Giovanni's son Ezio saves Lorenzo's life during the Pazzi Conspiracy (which happens outside the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral here, instead of inside as was the case in Real Life). He is voiced by (and modelled after) Alex Ivanovici. Ivanovici also portrayed Lorenzo in live-action in Assassin's Creed: Lineage as mentioned above.
Western Animation:
- Il Était Une Fois...:
- Il était une fois... l'Homme: He appears in the episode "The Quattrocento", which features the Assassination Attempt by the Pazzi clan.
- Il était une fois... les Découvreurs: He appears in the episode about Leonardo da Vinci, solely in his patron of the arts role.