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Lucrezia Tornabuoni (22 June 1427 – 25 March 1482) was an influential
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional It ...
political adviser and author during the
15th century The 15th century was the century which spans the Julian dates from 1 January 1401 ( MCDI) to 31 December 1500 ( MD). In Europe, the 15th century includes parts of the Late Middle Ages, the Early Renaissance, and the early modern period. M ...
. She was a member of one of the most powerful Italian families of the time and married Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, de facto Lord of Florence. Lucrezia had significant political influence during the rule of her husband and then of her son
Lorenzo the Magnificent Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (; 1 January 1449 – 8 April 1492) was an Italian statesman, banker, ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic and the most powerful and enthusiastic patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Also known as Lorenzo ...
, investing in several institutions and improving relationships to support the needs of the poor. She was a patron of the arts who wrote several poems and plays.


Early life

Lucrezia was born in Florence, Italy on 22 June 1427. Her parents Francesco di Simone Tornabuoni, member of a noble family that could trace its lineage back 500 years, and Francesca Pitti, his third wife and a daughter of another powerful local family. Her brother Giovanni became a
banker A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets. Because ...
and diplomat. Lucrezia was well-educated for a woman of her time. She was very capable in mathematics and finances, well-versed in literature, rhetoric and theology, and read many texts in both Latin and Greek, besides her native
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional It ...
. Lucrezia may be represented in three scenes in Ghirlandaio's frescos in the Tornabuoni Chapel: The Visitation, The Birth of the Baptist, and The Nativity of Mary.


Marriage

On 3 June 1444, Lucrezia married Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, son of
Cosimo de' Medici Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici (27 September 1389 – 1 August 1464) was an Italian banker and politician who established the Medici family as effective rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance. His power derived from his wealth ...
, a wealthy banker and statesman from Florence. Her father was a friend and supporter of Cosimo, even through the latter's exile in 1434. The marriage and her dowry of 1200 florins helped to seal the alliance between their families. Lucrezia and Piero developed a good relationship and frequently wrote to each other while apart with tenderness and concern. She also became a good friend of her brother-in-law Giovanni. Lucrezia and Piero ensured that their children acquired good taste in literary culture and the fine arts. They hired tutors to educate them in such subjects as politics,
business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separa ...
,
accounting Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "language ...
, and philosophy. Gentile de' Becchi and
Cristoforo Landino Cristoforo Landino (1424 in Pratovecchio, Casentino, Florence – 24 September 1498 in Borgo alla Collina, Casentino) was an Italian humanist and an important figure of the Florentine Renaissance. Biography From a family with ties to the ...
were among the teachers. The couple eventually had at least six children, though two sons didn't survive to adulthood: *
Bianca Bianca is a feminine given name. It means "white" and is an Italian cognate of Blanche. Variants * Blanche: French * Bianca: Italian * Bianka (Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, German, English, French, Icelandic, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegia ...
(1445–1505): Married Guglielmo
Pazzi The Pazzi were a noble Florentine family. Their main trade during the fifteenth century was banking. In the aftermath of the Pazzi conspiracy in 1478, members of the family were banished from Florence and their property was confiscated; the ...
. * Lucrezia (1448–1493): Known as Nannina. Married
Bernardo Rucellai Bernardo Rucellai (11 August 1448 – 7 October 1514), also known as Bernardo di Giovanni Rucellai or as la, Bernardus Oricellarius, italic=no, was a member of the Florentine political and social elite. He was the son of Giovanni di Paolo Ru ...
. * Lorenzo (1449–1492): Succeeded his father as Lord of Florence. Married
Clarice Orsini Clarice Orsini (1453–1488) was the daughter of Iacopo Orsini, and his wife and cousin Maddalena Orsini both from the Orsini family, a great Roman noble house and was the wife of Lorenzo de' Medici. Life Clarice and Lorenzo married 4 June ...
. * Giuliano (1453–1478): Became father of Pope Clement VII. Killed in 1478 as a result of the Pazzi conspiracy against the Medici. *
Maria Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, d ...
(After 1553 - 1479): Married Leonetto Rossi. It is uncertain whether she was actually the daughter of Lucrezia or a natural daughter of Piero. * Two sons who died as newborn.


Political importance

Lucrezia was notably wise and astute in political matters. Her father-in-law, the first Medici de facto ruler of Florence, admired her skills in deciding issues. After Piero took over the government in 1464, his
gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensi ...
kept him confined to bed and thus transformed the couple's bedroom into something resembling a noble court. Thus, Lucrezia was more free to move and was asked by others to bear their requests to her husband. For a woman to travel alone and meet with the Pope and other influential officials was unusual and it was commented upon by contemporaries. Her advice was sought by many high and low-born people, who she received. After her husband's death in 1469, Lucrezia gained additional political influence as an advisor to their son. At her death, Lorenzo freely admitted that she had been one of his most important advisors.


Economy

As a noblewoman, Lucrezia possessed more freedom to own property and conduct
business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separa ...
. She bought houses,
shop Shop or shopping refers to: Business and commerce * A casual word for a commercial establishment or for a place of business * Machine shop, a workshop for machining *"In the shop", referring to a car being at an automotive repair shop *A wood ...
s, and
farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used f ...
s in and around Pisa and Florence. Her shops would be leased to different businesses and thereby extended her patronage
network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematic ...
. In 1477, she took a lease on a public bath facility near
Volterra Volterra (; Latin: ''Volaterrae'') is a walled mountaintop town in the Tuscany region of Italy. Its history dates from before the 8th century BC and it has substantial structures from the Etruscan, Roman, and Medieval periods. History Volt ...
, which she renovated into a
profitable In economics, profit is the difference between the revenue that an economic entity has received from its outputs and the total cost of its inputs. It is equal to total revenue minus total cost, including both explicit and implicit costs. It ...
venture. Her investments in communities around Florence helped spread the Medici's influence network. Lucrezia became well known for giving solid donations to religious convents in order to help widows and orphans. She used her own income to provide dowries for women from poor families so that they could marry. This assistance was often provided by helping a family member to get a good position in the church or government.


Diplomacy

Lucrezia received many requests from citizens, which included appeals to end the exile or imprisonment of petitioners and to stop attacks by soldiers. She was called upon to mediate disputes among others in the area, once ending a feud between two families that had gone on for twenty years. Despite many Florentine problems having been resolved, conflict with the Medici continued. In October 1467, as part of a rivalry between Piero and
Luca Pitti Luca Pitti (1398–1472) was a Florentine banker during the period of the republic presided over by Cosimo de' Medici. He was awarded a knighthood, and received lavish presents from both the Signory of Firenze and the Medici family as a rewar ...
, there was an assassination attempt against Lucrezia and her son Giuliano. Though the two survived, Giuliano was killed in 1478 as result of the Pazzi conspiracy against the Medici. Since she was of noble birth, Lucrezia created bridges between her husband's family and the nobility. In 1450, she and her husband visited Rome for an audience with Pope Nicholas V, who gave them permission to build an altar in their family chapel. The couple wanted to increase their influence outside of Florence, especially in the Roman courts. In spring 1467, she visited the Pope again while seeking women suitable to marry her son Lorenzo. To improve the family's social status, Lucrezia arranged for her son to marry
Clarice Orsini Clarice Orsini (1453–1488) was the daughter of Iacopo Orsini, and his wife and cousin Maddalena Orsini both from the Orsini family, a great Roman noble house and was the wife of Lorenzo de' Medici. Life Clarice and Lorenzo married 4 June ...
in June 1469. Clarice’s dowry was 6,000 florins, but Lorenzo wasn't very fond of his wife.


Cultural influence


Patronage

Lucrezia was a significant patron of the arts. She commissioned the ''
Morgante ''Morgante'' (sometimes also called , the name given to the complete 28-canto, 30,080-line edition published in 1483See Lèbano's introduction to the Tusiani translation, p. xxii.) is an Italian romantic epic by Luigi Pulci which appeared in i ...
'' by
Luigi Pulci Luigi Pulci (; 15 August 1432 – 11 November 1484) was an Italian diplomat and poet best known for his ''Morgante'', an epic and parodistic poem about a giant who is converted to Christianity by Orlando and follows the knight in many adventure ...
, who called her "a famous lady in our century", and supported many poets, including Bernardo Bellincioni and
Angelo Poliziano Agnolo (Angelo) Ambrogini (14 July 1454 – 24 September 1494), commonly known by his nickname Poliziano (; anglicized as Politian; Latin: '' Politianus''), was an Italian classical scholar and poet of the Florentine Renaissance. His sc ...
, who later became a tutor to her grandchildren by Lorenzo. Similarly, religious institutions relied on Lucrezia's patronage. She was responsible for the addition of the Chapel of the Visitation in the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence and noted for donating many votive statues of her family to numerous churches. She was known to be devoted to John the Baptist, patron saint of Florence. After she became ill in 1467, she believed her recovery was due to the intercession of Saint Romuald and supported the hermitage that he had founded at
Camaldoli Camaldoli () is a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' of Poppi, in Tuscany, Italy. It is mostly known as the ancestral seat of the Camaldolese monastic order, originated in the eponymous hermitage, which can still be visited. The name was derived from ...
from then on.


Author

Lucrezia wrote religious stories,
plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pl ...
, and poetry. She wrote stories about Esther, Susanna, Tobias, John the Baptist, and Judith. She recommended poets in her circle to use chivalric themes, which some of them did. In part, her works were written to inspire and educate her grandchildren. She read some of her poems to famous poets, comparing their compositions and exchanging humorous poems with Bellincioni. Poliziano admired her poetry and would read her poems to his students. Lucrezia's poetry work was printed and published four years after she died. Some of her poems were set to popular tunes and performed publicly. Click below to read th
Sacred Narratives by Lucrezia Tornabuoni, edited and translated by Jane Tylus from University of Chicago Press (2001)


Death

Lucrezia Tornabuoni suffered from
arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In some ...
and
eczema Dermatitis is inflammation of the skin, typically characterized by itchiness, redness and a rash. In cases of short duration, there may be small blisters, while in long-term cases the skin may become thickened. The area of skin involved can ...
, conditions which caused her to seek treatments at baths around Tuscany. After suffering from lifelong illness, Lucrezia died in Florence on 25 March 1482 at the age of 54. By the time of her death, she had many grandchildren.


Fictional depictions

A young Lucrezia Tornabuoni is portrayed by Valentina Bellè in the 2016 television series, '' Medici: Masters of Florence''. An older Lucrezia Tornabuoni was portrayed by Sarah Parish in the second and third seasons. The series chooses to show her still living in 1485, seven years after the Pazzi Conspiracy and also running the Medici bank in her son's stead, rather than her own business dealings.


References


Sources

* * * *Neil D. Thompson and Charles M. Hansen, "A Medieval Heritage: The Ancestry of Charles II, King of England", ''The Genealogist'', at 22 (2008):105-06 *


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tornabuoni, Lucrezia 1427 births 1482 deaths Nobility from Florence Italian Roman Catholics 15th-century people of the Republic of Florence House of Medici Italian literature patrons 15th-century Italian women writers Writers from Florence Italian women poets Italian poets