Political Reforms of the Republic of Florence (1450s)

Timeline

1. 1450–1454Florence · TuscanyCosimo de' Medici manipulated the Council of Nine and the lottery-based election system to exclude rival families such as the Albizzi, transforming the republic into a Medici-dominated oligarchy while using banking wealth and a diplomatic network to keep the city-state stable.
2. 1454–1457Florence · TuscanyAfter the Peace of Lodi was signed in 1454, Florence was freed from the drain of prolonged warfare; the Medici regime used the opportunity to strengthen internal control, expand artistic patronage and public works, while the republican system was nominally retained but real power concentrated in the family's hands.
3. 1458–1460Florence · TuscanyAround 1458, as Cosimo's health deteriorated, his son Piero di Cosimo de' Medici ("the Gouty") began to direct affairs of state; the Medici mechanism of power succession took initial shape, and the republic moved further toward a hereditary oligarchy.