Lorenzo de' Medici's rule of Florence (1470s)

Timeline

1. 1471–1477Florence · TuscanyLorenzo and his brother Giuliano jointly managed affairs of state, using the Medici bank network and marriages with the courts of Milan's Sforza and Naples to stabilize the Tuscan league. His patronage of the Platonic Academy and humanist scholars made Florence the political and cultural center of the Renaissance; republican nobles were dissatisfied but could not shake his foundations for the time being.
2. 1478Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore) · FlorenceWith the support of Pope Sixtus IV and King Ferdinand of Naples, the Pazzi family assassinated the Medici brothers during mass: Giuliano was killed, Lorenzo was wounded but escaped. The Florentine populace angrily suppressed the conspirators, the Medici regime used the opportunity to purge opponents, relations with the papacy sharply deteriorated, and war erupted.
3. 1478–1480Fiesole · TuscanyThe pope and Naples' allied forces attacked Tuscany, and Florence resisted under Lorenzo's leadership. Lorenzo personally went to Naples to negotiate with Ferdinand, resolving the crisis through personal diplomacy; the 1480 Peace of Fiesole ended hostilities, Lorenzo's reputation reached its peak, and Medici personal rule within the republican framework was further institutionalized.