Caterina di Jacopo de' Pazzi (146323 August 1490) was an Italian blessed, and daughter of Jacopo de' Pazzi, creator 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 ...

Early life

Caterina de' Pazzi was born in 1463 in the

Republic of Florence The Republic of Florence (; Old Italian: ), known officially as the Florentine Republic, was a medieval and early modern state that was centered on the Italian city of Florence in Tuscany, Italy. The republic originated in 1115, when the Flor ...

. She was the natural daughter, later legitimized, and the only child of the Florentine nobleman, politician and banker Jacopo de' Pazzi. Her mother's name is unknown and Caterina was raised by her father's legitimate wife, Maddalena Serristori, who failed to have any own children. She was istruited by Stefano da Bagnone.

Life in exile

In April 1478 her father, her tutor, and two of her cousins,

Francesco Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...

and

Renato Renato is a masculine given name. It is derived from the Latin name Renatus. Notable people with the name used mononymously include: * Renato Mirze (born 1982), International brand chef, TV presenter * San Renato, a saint of the Catholic Church ...

, were executed, among others, following the failure of their

conspiracy A conspiracy, also known as a plot, ploy, or scheme, is a secret plan or agreement between people (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder, treason, or corruption, especially with a political motivat ...

against the

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 ...

brothers,

Lorenzo Lorenzo may refer to: People * Lorenzo (name) Places Peru * San Lorenzo Island (Peru), sometimes referred to as the island of Lorenzo United States * Lorenzo, Illinois * Lorenzo, Texas * San Lorenzo, California, formerly Lorenzo * Lorenzo State ...

and Giuliano, governors ''de facto'' of the city of Florence. The rest of the men of

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 ...

was exiled, their family name condemned to ''

damnatio memoriae () is a modern Latin phrase meaning "condemnation of memory" or "damnation of memory", indicating that a person is to be excluded from official accounts. Depending on the extent, it can be a case of historical negationism. There are and have b ...

'' and the women condemned to choose whether to enter a convent or continue to live in Florence but renounce the right to marry. Caterina, together with her stepmother, chose the convent, taking her vows in the

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

convent of Monticelli, directed by Filippa de' Medici, who became her spiritual guide and her close friend. Caterina lived a life of repentances and deprivations, dying on 23 August 1490 at age twenty-seven. On her deathbed, she asked Filippa for the grace to pray for her family.

Beatification

For her life and death, she was beatified by

Pope Benedict XIV Pope Benedict XIV (; ; 31 March 1675 – 3 May 1758), born Prospero Lorenzo Lambertini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 17 August 1740 to his death in May 1758. Pope Benedict X (1058–1059) is now con ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pazzi 1463 births 1490 deaths

Caterina Caterina is a feminine given name which is an Italian form of the name ''Katherine''. Notable people with the name include: In music: * Caterina Assandra, Italian composer and Benedictine nun * Caterina Bueno, Italian singer and folk music hist ...

15th-century Italian nobility Beatifications by Pope Benedict XIV Franciscan beatified people Italian Franciscans Italian beatified people