Bianca Maria di Piero de' Medici (10 September 1445– 20 July 1505) was a member of the

de' Medici The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first half of the 15th c ...

family, ''de facto'' rulers of

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

in the late 15th century. She was the daughter of

Piero di Cosimo de' Medici Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, known as Piero the Gouty (), (1416 – 2 December 1469) was the '' de facto'' ruler of the Republic of Florence from 1464 to 1469, during the Italian Renaissance. Biography Piero was the son of Cosimo de' Medici ...

, ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic, and sister of

Lorenzo de' Medici Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (), known as Lorenzo the Magnificent (; 1 January 1449 – 9 April 1492), was an Italian statesman, the ''de facto'' ruler of the Florentine Republic, and the most powerful patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. Lore ...

, who succeeded his father in that position. She married Guglielmo de' Pazzi, a member of the

Pazzi family The Pazzi were a powerful family in the Republic of Florence. 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 w ...

. She was a musician, and played the

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

for

Pope Pius II Pope Pius II (, ), born Enea Silvio Bartolomeo Piccolomini (; 18 October 1405 – 14 August 1464), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 August 1458 to his death in 1464. Aeneas Silvius was an author, diplomat, ...

and the future

Pope Alexander VI Pope Alexander VI (, , ; born Roderic Llançol i de Borja; epithet: ''Valentinus'' ("The Valencian"); – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death in 1503. Born into t ...

in 1460; she was a landowner.

Life

Bianca was a daughter of

and

Lucrezia Tornabuoni Lucrezia Tornabuoni (22 June 1427 – 28 March 1482) was an Italian noblewoman, wife of Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, de facto Lord of Florence and his political adviser. Lucrezia had significant political influence during the rule of her husband ...

. In 1459, she married Guglielmo de' Pazzi, who was a childhood friend of her brother,

. This alliance was intended to help resolve the animosity between the families, but it was not successful in that regard as Machiavelli noted in his ''

Florentine Histories ''Florentine Histories'' () is a historical account by Italian Renaissance political philosopher and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, first published posthumously in 1532. Background In 1520, Machiavelli managed to get back into the good graces of th ...

''. Their first child, Antonio, was born in 1460. The marriage agreement included a significant reduction in taxes imposed on the Pazzi family. In the aftermath of the

Pazzi conspiracy The Pazzi conspiracy () was a failed plot by members of the Pazzi family and others to displace the Medici family as rulers of Renaissance Florence. On 26 April 1478 there was an attempt to assassinate Lorenzo de' Medici and his brother ...

of 1478, Bianca's marriage significantly softened Lorenzo's wrath towards Guglielmo, who was only put under house arrest for a time, while his male relatives were exiled or executed; his daughters were exempted from the marriage ban imposed on other Pazzi daughters. In 1460, Bianca was asked to play the organ for Pope Pius II and his entourage during a visit to Florence, as the pope was coming back from the Council of Mantua. Teodoro Montefeltro, the Apostolic protonotary travelling with the pope, praised the performance in a letter to

Barbara of Brandenburg, Marquise of Mantua Barbara of Brandenburg (30 September 1422 – 7 November 1481) was a Marchioness consort of Mantua, married in 1433 to Ludovico III Gonzaga, Marquis of Mantua. She was referred to as a virago because of her strong character and forceful nat ...

. During the same papal visit, she performed a second concert for the future pope

Rodrigo Borgia Pope Alexander VI (, , ; born Roderic Llançol i de Borja; epithet: ''Valentinus'' ("The Kingdom of Valencia, Valencian"); – 18 August 1503) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 August 1492 until his death ...

at his request. Bianca often performed for local and visiting dignitaries, contributing to her families' reputation and influence. In 1475, Bianca asked her mother to purchase farmland from other relatives for her, as Lucrezia had more influence within the family. Though Bianca owned the property, it was managed by staff employed by her mother.

Issue

Bianca and Guglielmo had sixteen children, nine sons and seven daughters: * Antonio de' Pazzi (1460), died as an infant * Giovanna de' Pazzi, married Tommaso Monaldi in 1471 * Contessina de' Pazzi, married Giuliano Salviati in 1476 * Antonio de' Pazzi (1462-1528), ambassador and politician, '' Gonfaloniere di Giustizia'' in 1521, second Lord of Civitella * Alessandra de' Pazzi (1465), married Bartolomeo Buondelmonti in 1486 * Cosimo de' Pazzi (1466-1513), archbishop of Florence from 1508 until his death * Piero de' Pazzi (1468), died as an infant * Lorenzo Alessandro de' Pazzi, (1470-1535) merchant, patron of the arts and latinist * Cosa de' Pazzi, married Francesco di Luca Capponi * Renato de' Pazzi, goldsmith merchant * Lorenzo de' Pazzi, politician and ambassador * Luigia de' Pazzi, married Folco di Edoardo Portinari in 1494 * Maddalena de' Pazzi, married Ormanozzo Deti in 1497 * Alessandro de' Pazzi (1483-1530) ambassador, literate and greekist * Lucrezia de' Pazzi, married Cattani di Diacceto, and then a member of Martelli family (1500) * Giuliano de' Pazzi (1486-1517), doctor of law, abbot and canon of the Metropolitan of Florence

References

Sources

* * * * * {{Authority control 1445 births 1488 deaths 15th-century people from the Republic of Florence Italian women musicians House of Medici 15th-century Italian nobility 15th-century Italian women Medieval Italian women musicians 15th-century Italian musicians 15th-century women musicians 15th-century landowners 15th-century women landowners Italian landowners