Many a book has been written about the Medici; yet how little has been said about the private lives of the founders of that wonderful family which rose from prosperous middle-class condition to take its place among the sovereign houses of Europe, to seat its daughters on the throne of the Queen-consorts of France, and its sons on the Chair of St. Peter? Their rival capitalists north of the Alps climbed high in those days when the gulf was dug deep between nobles and all who were below them in the social scale. The Fuggers made many alliances with the German and Bohemian nobles, and the Welsers had the unheard-of glory of mating one of their daughters with the Emperor of Germany; does not the Philipine-Welser Strasse in Augsburg commemorate to this day the renown of the match? But neither had the fortune to found a dynasty as did the Medici. They are so inseparably connected with the history of their native city that the biographies have insensibly become sketches of Florentine, even of European history. The men and women have disappeared, and we see instead the dexterous manipulators of tortuous Italian diplomacy, or the splendid patrons of art and literature during the best period of the Renaissance. Yet, in our day, we sometimes like to turn aside from the stage life to learn about the vie intime of personages who have become historical. We are curious about their doings within the home circle, about their private loves and hates, whether they were good or bad husbands and wives, parents and children. The simpler human interests attract us.

This book attempts to supply such details. It is founded on letters, for the most part private, of Medici men, women, and children, and their friends, written during those decades when the family was being moulded for the great European destiny which lay hidden in the future before it. In these old-world epistles Contessina artlessly displays her household economies, Lucrezia reveals her fondness for bathing, Clarice quarrels with no less a tutor than the celebrated Poliziano about the lessons he gave to her children, and the child Piero tells his father how he has studied hard, even writing in Latin, “in order to give a more literary tone to my letters,” and proudly and persistently demands the pony promised as a reward for diligence.

The materials have been gathered from many a quarter. Angelo Fabroni’s ponderous tomes, Magni Cosmi Medicei Vita and Laurentii Medicis Magnifici Vita; the Histories of Florence by Giovanni Cavalcanti, Giovanni Cambi, and Niccolὸ Machiavelli; rare pamphlets, published in small editions of twenty-five or a hundred copies, by Italian men of letters in honour of the marriage of some friend, which are a mine of wealth; and last, but not least, the Florentine Archives. Most of the letters from the Archivio Medicei ante Principato have never been published before, much less translated; others are given here in full, which have hitherto seen the light only in very fragmentary form. The volume can therefore claim to contain a great deal of thoroughly original matter. In them it will be seen that well-born or important men and women were addressed as Your Magnificence, and written to and spoken of as The Magnificent. It was, therefore, no special title bestowed on Lorenzo de’ Medici, but suiting so well with his character and whole personality it has become, as it were, his property.

My best thanks are due to Cavaliere Angelo Bruschi, librarian of the Marucelliana Library in Florence, without whose valid assistance and advice I should have had great difficulty in collecting the letters; to Dr. Dorini of the Florentine Archives, whose aid was invaluable in helping me to decipher the almost illegible manuscripts; and to Signor Gugliemo Volpi, several of whose pamphlets and articles are quoted. I must also thank the Baroness Mollinary of Como for so kindly having photographed for me her most interesting early portrait of Lorenzo the Magnificent, never before published; and Dr. Giovanni Poggi, director of the Bargello in Florence, for giving me the photograph of Lorenzo’s portrait at Poggio a Caiano. The Baroness Mollinary’s picture is one of the many that belonged to her ancestor Paolo Giovio, and bears a strong resemblance to the fine miniature of Lorenzo, the property of M. Prosper Villon, reproduced in Le Musée de Portraits de Paul Jove by M. Eugène Muntz, in which, however, Lorenzo looks rather older. Both show the same humorous, kindly face, with a strong mouth, determined jaw, and fine eyes. In the miniature the head and shoulders are against and under a baldaquin, on each side of which is a small bit of landscape. Below is inscribed Laur M P P and the Medici arms (with six balls), surmounted by Lorenzo’s device, three ostrich feathers, white, green, and red (faith, hope, and charity), while a floating ribbon behind bears his motto Semper. The portrait at Poggio a Caiano is perhaps by Alessandro Allori, therefore of course not contemporary; it may be a copy of an older and lost picture. I must also express my great gratitude to the Rev. Principal Lindsay of Glasgow for kind help and criticism during the progress of my work.

The portrait of Piero de’ Medici in the chapel of the Riccardi palace, by Benozzo Gozzoli, has been given sometimes as that of his father Cosimo, or even of his son Lorenzo. But if the bust by Mino da Fiesole, in the Bargello, represents Piero, then he is the man grasping his horse’s mane with one hand as he rides by the side of his father Cosimo, who, as we know, generally rode a mule.

JANET ROSS.

CONTENTS

PAGE
INTRODUCTORY[1]
COSIMO DI GIOVANNI DE’ MEDICI (1389-1464)[7]
Contessina de’ Medici to her husband Cosimo in Ferrara[10]
Cosimo de’ Medici to Averardo de’ Medici, Ambassador to Ferrara[11]
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni at Ferrara[14]
Cosimo de’ Medici to Averardo de’ Medici at Pisa[15]
Cosimo de’ Medici to Averardo de’ Medici[16]
Cosimo de’ Medici at Florence to Averardo de’ Medici at Pisa[18]
Diary of Cosimo de’ Medici and his Oration to the Signory of Florence when sentence of exile was pronounced against him[19]
Cosimo de’ Medici to his son Piero de’ Medici[31]
Niccolò Fortebraccio to Cosimo de’ Medici and Neri di Gino Capponi[34]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his brother Cosimo, Ambassador to Ferrara, in the name of the “Dieci di Balia”[35]
Count Francesco Sforza to Cosimo de’ Medici[36]
Count Francesco Sforza to Cosimo de’ Medici[38]
Count Francesco Sforza to Cosimo de’ Medici[39]
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Piero[40]
Commissio Laurentii de’ Medicis, 3 Decembris 1438[42]
Additio facta Commissioni Laurentii de’ Medicis[43]
Francesco Sforza to Cosimo de’ Medici[44]
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni at the Baths of Petriolo [near Siena][46]
Alberto Averardo de’ Alberti, from Rome, to Giovanni de’ Medici[47]
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni in Rome[47]
The Same to the Same[48]
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Piero[48]
Lucrezia de’ Medici, at the Baths of Petriolo; to her husband Piero at Florence[50]
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Piero at Trebbio[50]
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni in Rome[51]
Cosimo de’ Medici to Giovanni his son in Rome[52]
Contessina de’ Medici to Giovanni her son at Volterra[53]
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni at Volterra[54]
The Same to the Same[55]
Contessina de’ Medici to Ginevra, wife of her son Giovanni, at the Baths of Petriolo[58]
Cosimo de’ Medici to his son Giovanni at Milan[59]
Lucrezia de’ Medici (from Careggi or Cafaggiuolo) to her husband Piero at Florence[60]
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Piero at Venice[62]
Cosimo de’ Medici to his son Giovanni at the Baths of Petriolo[62]
Contessina de’ Medici to her son Giovanni and his wife Ginevra at Bagno a Morba[63]
Pope Pius II. to Cosimo de’ Medici[64]
Cosimo de’ Medici to Pope Pius II.[65]
Cosimo de’ Medici to Pius II.[66]
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her husband Piero[69]
Cosimo de’ Medici to his son Piero at Pisa[70]
Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, &c. &c.[71]
Cosimo de’ Medici to the Reverend Master Marsilio Ficino, Platonist[73]
Piero de’ Medici to Lorenzo and Giuliano, his sons, at Cafaggiuolo[74]
Marsilio Ficino to the noble Lorenzo de’ Medici[76]
Brief Memorandum by Piero de’ Medici about his Father’s Death[77]
Notes of the Funeral and of the Masses and Offices said for the Soul of Cosimo di Giovanni de’ Medici[79]
PIERO DI COSIMO DE’ MEDICI (1416-1469)[82]
Pope Pius II. to Piero de’ Medici[84]
Louis XI., King of France, to Piero de’ Medici[85]
Privilege granted by Louis XI. to the Medici to quarter the Lily of France in their arms[86]
The Magnificent Lorenzo to the Illustrious Lord Federigo, son of the King of Naples[88]
Piero de’ Medici to his son Lorenzo at Milan[93]
Piero de’ Medici to his son Lorenzo at Milan[94]
Luigi Pulci to Lorenzo de’ Medici[100]
Piero de’ Medici to his son Lorenzo at Rome[102]
Piero de’ Medici to his son Lorenzo at Rome[103]
Agnolo Acciaiuoli to Piero de’ Medici. Siena, 17th Sept. 1466[105]
Piero de’ Medici to Agnolo Acciaiuoli. Florence, 22nd Sept. 1466[105]
Luigi Pulci, from Pisa, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence[107]
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her husband Piero[108]
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her husband Piero[109]
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her husband Piero[110]
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her husband Piero[111]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his mother Lucrezia at Bagno a Morba[115]
Piero de’ Medici to his wife Lucrezia at Morba[115]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his mother Lucrezia at Bagno a Morba[116]
Contessina de’ Medici to her daughter-in-law Lucrezia at Bagno a Morba[117]
Piero de’ Medici to his wife Lucrezia at Bagno a Morba[117]
Luigi Pulci from Pisa to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence[118]
Luigi Pulci at Pisa to Lorenzo de’ Medici[119]
Cardinal Latino Orsini to Piero de’ Medici[120]
Filippo de’ Medici, Archbishop of Pisa, at Rome, to Piero de’ Medici[120]
Francesco Tornabuoni to his nephew Lorenzo de’ Medici[122]
Clarice Orsini to Lorenzo de’ Medici[123]
Francesco Tornabuoni to Lorenzo de’ Medici, his nephew[123]
Clarice Orsini to Lorenzo de’ Medici[125]
Rinaldo Orsini to Lorenzo de’ Medici[126]
Maddalena Orsini to Lorenzo de’ Medici[127]
Filippo de’ Medici, Archbishop of Pisa, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[127]
An Account of the Wedding of Lorenzo de’ Medici[129]
Rinaldo Orsini to his sister Clarice de’ Medici[134]
Giovanni di Bentivogli from Bologna to Piero de’ Medici at Florence[135]
Piero de’ Medici at Careggi to Lucrezia his wife in Florence[137]
Gentile Becchi to Clarice de’ Medici[138]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his wife Clarice[140]
Lorenzo de’ Medici from Monza to his father Piero in Florence[141]
LORENZO DI PIERO DE’ MEDICI (1450-1492)[143]
Ricordi of Lorenzo the Magnificent, son of Piero di Cosimo de’ Medici[150]
Agnolo Poliziano to Lorenzo de’ Medici[156]
A. Alexander di Conio to Contessina de’ Medici[158]
Luigi Pulci to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence[159]
Clarice de’ Medici to her husband Lorenzo[161]
Luigi Pulci to Lorenzo de’ Medici[162]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Sixtus IV.[163]
Ingherami di Volterra, Apostolic Scribe, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[165]
Francesco Filelfo to Lorenzo de’ Medici[166]
Jacopo Ammanati, Cardinal of Pavia, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[167]
Jacopo Ammanati, Cardinal of Pavia, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[168]
The Syndic and Ancients of Galatea to Lucrezia de’ Medici[171]
Fra Cristofano d’Antonio di Mast ... to Lucrezia de’ Medici[172]
Matteo Franco to Lorenzo de’ Medici[173]
Giuliano de’ Medici from Pisa to his mother Lucrezia[174]
Bertoldo di Giovanni to Lorenzo de’ Medici[175]
Niccolò Roberti to Duke Borso d’Este[176]
Agnolo Poliziano at Pisa to Clarice de’ Medici[177]
Agnolo Poliziano to Clarice de’ Medici[178]
Clarice de’ Medici to her husband Lorenzo at Florence[178]
Lucrezia de’ Medici, from Bagno a Morba, to her son Lorenzo[179]
Lucrezia de’ Medici, from Bagno a Morba, to her son Lorenzo at Pisa[179]
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her grandmother Lucrezia at Bagno a Morba[180]
Agnolo Poliziano to Lucrezia de’ Medici at Bagno a Morba[181]
Lucrezia de’ Medici, from Bagno a Morba, to her son Lorenzo[182]
Lucrezia de’ Medici to her son Lorenzo, from Bagno a Morba[183]
Piero Malegonnelle (Vicar of Pomerance) to Lucrezia de’ Medici[184]
Piero Malegonnelle (Vicar of Pomerance) to Lucrezia de’ Medici[184]
Louis XI., King of France, to the Florentine Republic[192]
Louis XI. to Pope Sixtus IV.[193]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Tommaso Soderini at Milan[194]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Giovanni Lanfredini, Florentine Ambassador at Venice[196]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Louis XI., King of France[198]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Sforza de’ Bettini[199]
Messer Ceccho, from Milan, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[201]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Messer Giovanni di Bentivoglio at Milan[202]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Girolamo Morelli, Florentine Ambassador at Milan[203]
Sixtus IV. to the Duke Federigo of Urbino[205]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Girolamo Morelli, Florentine Ambassador at Milan[207]
Agnolo Poliziano at Pistoja to Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence[208]
Agnolo Poliziano at Pistoja to Lorenzo de’ Medici[209]
Agnolo Poliziano at Pistoja to Lorenzo de’ Medici[210]
Agnolo Poliziano at Pistoja to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence[211]
Agnolo Poliziano at Pistoja to Lorenzo de’ Medici[212]
Piero de’ Medici (born 1472) to his father Lorenzo[212]
Clarice de’ Medici to Lucrezia[213]
Agnolo Poliziano to Lucrezia de’ Medici[213]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the King of Spain[215]
Agnolo Poliziano, from Cafaggiuolo, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence[216]
Piero de’ Medici to his father Lorenzo[216]
Agnolo Poliziano to Lorenzo de’ Medici[217]
Piero de’ Medici at Cafaggiuolo to his father Lorenzo[217]
Clarice de’ Medici to her husband Lorenzo[218]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his mother Lucrezia in Florence[219]
Piero de’ Medici at Cafaggiuolo to his father Lorenzo[219]
Piero de’ Medici at Cafaggiuolo to his father Lorenzo[220]
Piero de’ Medici at Gagliano to his father Lorenzo[221]
Antonio Pucci to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Cafaggiuolo[221]
Lucrezia de’ Medici (daughter of Lorenzo) to her grandmother Lucrezia[222]
Nannina Rucellai to her mother Lucrezia de’ Medici[222]
Bianca de’ Pazzi to her mother Lucrezia de’ Medici at Careggi[223]
Agnolo Poliziano to Lucrezia de’ Medici at Careggi[224]
Guidantonio Vespucci, Legatus in Epistolis at Paris, to the Ten of the Balìa in Florence[226]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Girolamo Morelli, Florentine Ambassador at Milan[227]
To the Signoria of Florence, from Lorenzo de’ Medici[229]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Antonio Montecatino, Ambassador to Florence of the Duke of Ferrara[230]
Bartolommeo Scala, Secretary of the Florentine Republic, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Naples[231]
Bartolommeo Scala, Secretary to the Florentine Republic, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Naples[233]
Bartolommeo Scala, Secretary of the Florentine Republic, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Naples[234]
Doctor Oliverio, from Bagno a Morba, to Lucrezia de’ Medici[235]
Ippolita Maria d’Aragona, Duchess of Calabria, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[236]
Papinio di Artimino to Lucrezia de’ Medici[237]
Papinio di Artimino, from Rome, to Lucrezia de’ Medici[238]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the Doge of Venice[239]
To Albino, dear to me as a brother, Secretary of the Illustrious Duke of Calabria, from Lorenzo de’ Medici[240]
From Bartolommeo Sgnippi, Clerk of the Embassy, to Antonio Montecatino, Ambassador of the Duke of Ferrara (who had gone to Ferrara for a few days) to the Florentine Republic[241]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the Duchess Eleonora d’Aragona d’Este at Ferrara[244]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the Duke Ercole d’Este[244]
Frederick, Duke of Urbino, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[246]
Ugolino Baccio, from Basel, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[247]
Ugolino Baccio to Lorenzo de’ Medici[249]
Ugolino Baccio to Lorenzo de’ Medici[252]
Louis XI., King of France, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[254]
Bartolommeo Scala to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Bagno a Morba[255]
“In Amorpham Nympham,” Latin poem by Bartolommeo Scala, sent to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Bagno a Morba, April 25, 1484[256]
Guidantonio Vespucci, Florentine Ambassador at Rome, to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Florence[258]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his son Piero in Rome, November 26, 1484[260]
Niccolò Michelozzi to Lorenzo de’ Medici at Morba[265]
Matteo Franco to Ser Piero Dovizi da Bibbiena, Chancellor of Lorenzo de’ Medici[267]
Two of Piero’s Sayings[272]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the Duke Ercole d’Este[273]
Messer Guidone Aldrovandini, Ambassador to the Republic of Florence from Ferrara, to Duke Ercole d’Este[274]
Duke Ercole d’Este to Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador of Ferrara to the Republic of Florence[276]
Messer Guidone Aldrovandini, Ambassador of Ferrara to the Republic of Florence, to the Duke Ercole d’Este[277]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Ugolino Baccio in Apulia[278]
Messer Guidone Aldrovandini, Ambassador from Ferrara to the Florentine Republic, to the Duke Ercole d’Este[280]
Duke Ercole d’Este to Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador of Ferrara to the Florentine Republic[282]
Messer Guidone Aldrovandini, Ambassador of Ferrara to the Republic of Florence, to Duke Ercole d’Este[283]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Innocent VIII.[285]
Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador from Ferrara to the Florentine Republic, to Duke Ercole d’Este[285]
Agnolo Poliziano to Lorenzo de’ Medici[288]
Matteo Franco, from Stigliano, to Ser Piero Dovizi da Bibbiena, Chancellor to Lorenzo de’ Medici, at Florence[289]
Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador from Ferrara to the Florentine Republic, to the Duke Ercole d’Este[294]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Pope Innocent VIII.[296]
Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador to the Republic of Florence, to the Duke Ercole d’Este[297]
Messer Aldrovandini, Ambassador of Ferrara to the Republic of Florence, to Duke Ercole d’Este[298]
Stefano, a trusted servant of Piero de’ Medici, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[299]
Petrus Bonus Avogarius, Doctor, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[301]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Piero Alamanni, Florentine Ambassador at Rome[303]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Innocent VIII.[304]
Manfredo di Manfredi (a new Ferrarese Ambassador) to Duke Ercole d’Este[305]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Pope Innocent VIII.[306]
A Manager of the Medici Bank to the Duke Ercole d’Este[309]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Giovanni Lanfredini, Florentine Ambassador at Rome[310]
Lorenzo de’ Medici, from the Baths of Spedaletto, to his daughter Contessina[310]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Giovanni Lanfredini, Florentine Ambassador at Rome[311]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Monseigneur d’Argenton (Philippe de Comines)[312]
Pietro Vettori, Florentine Ambassador at Naples, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[314]
Lorenzo de’ Medici, from Bagno San Filippo, to his son Piero[316]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the Commissaries of Pistoja[317]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Ser Andrea at Siena[317]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Giovanni Lanfredini, Florentine Ambassador at Rome[318]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to Giovanni Lanfredini, Florentine Ambassador at Rome[319]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to the King of England[322]
Agnolo Poliziano to Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence[323]
Pier Filippo Pandolfini, Florentine Ambassador at Rome, to Lorenzo de’ Medici[325]
Piero Leoni of Spoleto to Lorenzo de’ Medici[326]
Matteo Franco at Rome to Ser Piero Dovizi at Florence[327]
Manfredo di Manfredi, Ambassador from Ferrara to Florence, to the Duke Ercole d’Este[330]
Lorenzo de’ Medici to his son, Cardinal Giovanni, at Rome, in March 1492[332]
Cardinal Giovanni de’ Medici to his father Lorenzo[336]
Poliziano’s letter to Jacopo Antiquario describing the death of Lorenzo de’ Medici[336]
Bartolommeo Dei to his uncle Benedetto Dei, with Machiavelli in Ferrara[341]
INDEX[345]

ILLUSTRATIONS

Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici[Frontispiece]
From a picture at Poggio a Caiano
Cosimo di Giovanni de’ MediciTo face page [7]
From the marble relief by Andrea Del Verrocchio (?) in the Kaiser Friedrich Museum, Berlin
Letter from Cosimo di Giovanni de’ Medici[10]
Cosimo di Giovanni de’ Medici[31]
By Jacopo da Pontormo. In the Convent of S. Marco, Florence
Letter from Contessina de’ Medici[46]
Letter from Lucrezia de’ Medici[50]
Piero di Cosimo de’ Medici[82]
Detail from the fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli in the Chapel of Palazzo Riccardi, Florence
Letter from Piero di Cosimo de’ Medici[94]
Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici[143]
In the Museo Giovio (Villa Soave, Como)
Letter from Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici[206]
Piero di Lorenzo de’ Medici[212]
Detail from the fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Church of S. Trinità, Florence
Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici, and three members of the Sasseti family[312]
In the fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio in the Church of S. Trinità, Florence