Ghirlandaio - Tornabuoni Chapel - a Humanist philosopher

Gentile de' Becchi (1420/1430 – 1497) was an Italian bishop,

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

orator An orator, or oratist, is a public speaker, especially one who is eloquent or skilled. Etymology Recorded in English c. 1374, with a meaning of "one who pleads or argues for a cause", from Anglo-French ''oratour'', Old French ''orateur'' (14 ...

and writer. He was a member of the

Platonic Academy The Academy (), variously known as Plato's Academy, or the Platonic Academy, was founded in Classical Athens, Athens by Plato ''wikt:circa, circa'' 387 BC. The academy is regarded as the first institution of higher education in the west, where ...

of 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 ...

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 ...

and tutor of

Lorenzo the Magnificent 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. Lo ...

and his son Giovanni de' Medici, later

Pope Leo X Pope Leo X (; born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, 11 December 14751 December 1521) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 March 1513 to his death in December 1521. Born into the prominent political and banking Med ...

. Of his writings there exist many letters, poems in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, and prayers which are praised by historian Cecil Grayson as his finest works.

Early life and priesthood

Gentile de' Becchi was born in Urbino, the son of Giorgio Becchi, member of a family traditionally linked to the powerful Florentine Medici dynasty. Both the year of his birth and the place of his early studies are unknown. As a priest, in 1450, with the support of the Medici, he was appointed to the parish of San Giovanni in

. He became a canon of

Pisa Cathedral Pisa Cathedral (), officially the Primatial Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary (), is a medieval Catholic cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in the Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, Italy, the oldest of the three s ...

and in 1462 he became

canonical prebend A prebendary is a member of the Catholic or Anglican clergy, a form of canon with a role in the administration of a cathedral or collegiate church. When attending services, prebendaries sit in particular seats, usually at the back of the choir s ...

Florence Cathedral Florence Cathedral (), formally the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower ( ), is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Florence in Florence, Italy. Commenced in 1296 in the Gothic style to a design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed b ...

, controlling the finances of the diocese for Archbishop Giovanni Neroni, and holding benefices in Decimo,

Cascina Cascina () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pisa in the Italy, Italian region Tuscany, located about west of Florence and about southeast of Pisa. Cascina is located on the left shore of the Arno River, on a markedly plain ter ...

and Fagna. In 1473,

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 ...

, as '’ de facto'’ ruler of Florence, proposed him as

Bishop of Arezzo The Diocese of Arezzo-Cortona-Sansepolcro () is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church. It has existed since 1986. In that year the historic diocese of Arezzo was combined with the diocese of Cortona and the diocese of Sansepolcro, the enlarged ...

. According to historian Cecil Grayson, although de' Becchi's appointment as Bishop had been orchestrated by Lorenzo, both the Archbishop of Florence and

Pope Sixtus IV Pope Sixtus IV (or Xystus IV, ; born Francesco della Rovere; (21 July 1414 – 12 August 1484) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 August 1471 until his death in 1484. His accomplishments as pope included ...

held him in high esteem for his devotion to the faith, his knowledge, his abilities and his character.Cecil Grayson, ''Gentile de' Becchi'', Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani – Volume 7 (1970) Despite his close association with Florence and the Medici family, de' Becchi did not neglect his obligations to

Arezzo Arezzo ( , ; ) is a city and ''comune'' in Italy and the capital of the Province of Arezzo, province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about southeast of Florence at an elevation of Above mean sea level, above sea level. As of 2 ...

. He supported the founding of a convent of

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

in the city, licensed the

Olivetans The Olivetans, formally known as the Order of Our Lady of Mount Olivet, are a monastic order. They were founded in 1313 and recognised in 1344. They use the Rule of Saint Benedict and are a member of the Benedictine Confederation, where they are ...

to build a church and monastery, and made improvements to the Bishop's palace.

Humanist and teacher

In 1454, Gentile was chosen by

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 ...

as tutor to his sons, the future

and his brother Giuliano.Mediateca di Palazzo Medici Riccardi In 1466, he accompanied Lorenzo de' Medici on an ambassadorial mission to

Pope Paul II Pope Paul II (; ; 23 February 1417 – 26 July 1471), born Pietro Barbo, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 30 August 1464 to his death in 1471. When his maternal uncle became Pope Eugene IV, Barbo switched fr ...

. The following year, Gentile accompanied Lorenzo's mother,

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 ...

, to Rome, to negotiate agreements with the powerful

Orsini family The House of Orsini is an Nobility of Italy, Italian noble family that was one of the most influential princely families in Middle Ages, medieval Italy and Renaissance Rome. Members of the Orsini family include five popes: Pope Stephen II, Step ...

in order to arrange betrothal of Clarice Orsini to Lorenzo. Gentile de' Becchi then returned to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

in April 1469, to accompany Clarice to Florence for her marriage. Gentile became a prominent member of the Medici Academy, alongside the philosophers

Marsilio Ficino Marsilio Ficino (; Latin name: ; 19 October 1433 – 1 October 1499) was an Italian scholar and Catholic priest who was one of the most influential humanist philosophers of the early Italian Renaissance. He was an astrologer, a reviver of Neo ...

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 C ...

Agnolo Poliziano Agnolo (or Angelo) Ambrogini (; 14 July 1454 – 24 September 1494), commonly known as Angelo Poliziano () or simply Poliziano, anglicized as Politian, was an Italian classical scholar and poet of the Florentine Renaissance. His scholarsh ...

and

Pico della Mirandola Giovanni Pico dei conti della Mirandola e della Concordia ( ; ; ; 24 February 146317 November 1494), known as Pico della Mirandola, was an Italian Renaissance nobleman and philosopher. He is famed for the events of 1486, when, at the age of 23, ...

. He was known as a poet, as well as a theologian and orator, and communicated with other poets and humanists including Cardinal

Jacopo Piccolomini-Ammannati Jacopo Piccolomini-Ammannati, or Giacomo Piccolomini (8 March 1422 – 10 September 1479) was an Italian Renaissance cardinal and humanist. Biography He was born at Pescia, now in the province of Pistoia, Italy. He was related to the Piccolomi ...

Francesco Filelfo Francesco Filelfo (; 25 July 1398 – 31 July 1481) was an Italian Renaissance humanism, Renaissance humanist and author of the philosophic dialogue ''On Exile''. Biography Filelfo was born at Tolentino, in the March of Ancona. He is believed t ...

, and

Donato Acciaiuoli Donato Acciaioli (15 March 142828 August 1478) was an Italian scholar and statesman. He was known for his learning, especially in Greek and mathematics, and for his services to his native state, the Republic of Florence. Biography He was born in ...

. Agnolo Poliziano dedicated his ode ''Del Lungo'', written in the wake of the

Pazzi 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 was ...

conspiracy, to de' Becchi. In 1489, Lorenzo chose Gentile as tutor of his second son, Giovanni de' Medici, who had started on an ecclesiastical career in agreement with

Pope Innocent VIII Pope Innocent VIII (; ; 1432 – 25 July 1492), born Giovanni Battista Cybo (or Cibo), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 August 1484 to his death, in July 1492. Son of the viceroy of Naples, Cybo spent his ea ...

. While Lorenzo's wife,

Clarice Orsini Clarice Orsini (1453 – 30 July 1488) was the daughter of Jacopo Orsini, and 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 1469, with a ...

, who did not share her husband's Platonic ideals, was happy to have the Bishop of Arezzo tutor her son, and wanted him to be given exercises out of the

psalter A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters were ...

, it caused conflict with Poliziano, of whom she was deeply suspicious. Giovanni was made a cardinal at thirteen and at thirty-eight succeeded

Pope Julius II Pope Julius II (; ; born Giuliano della Rovere; 5 December 144321 February 1513) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1503 to his death, in February 1513. Nicknamed the Warrior Pope, the Battle Pope or the Fearsome ...

Pazzi conspiracy

In 1478, 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 ...

, involving members of the Florentine Pazzi family, and sanctioned by

(a member of the

della Rovere family The House of Della Rovere (; literally "of the oak tree") was a powerful Italian noble family. It had humble origins in Savona, in Liguria, and acquired power and influence through nepotism and ambitious marriages arranged by two Della Rovere p ...

) resulted in an attack on

Easter Sunday Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...

, which left Lorenzo de' Medici wounded and his brother, the popular Giuliano, dead. Violent reprisals broke out in Florence with members and associates of the Pazzi family killed, including the Archbishop of Pisa, Francesco Salviati, a relative of Pope Sixtus, who was condemned to death and hanged. The Pope responded by arresting the Florentine ambassador, excommunicating Lorenzo de' Medici and the

Signoria A ''signoria'' () was the governing authority in many of the Italian city-states during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The word ''signoria'' comes from ''signore'' (), or "lord", an abstract noun meaning (roughly) "government", "governi ...

(Town Council) and forbidding the Florentine clergy from practising. Gentile de' Becchi, as

, stood by the Medici, breaking the interdict launched by Pope Sixtus IV against the Florentine clergy. With the archbishop Rinaldo Orsini, he convened a

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

of the local clergy and succeeded in returning the normal spiritual and ecclesiastical life to the City of Florence. At the synod, de' Becchi delivered a speech in which he refuted all the arguments put forward by the Pope for the sanctions, and accused the Pope Sixtus of being behind the attack, in order to bring Florence under his control. The speech was immediately printed by Niccolò della Magna and circulated. It is probable that for this reason Gentile de' Becchi's proposal as cardinal was rejected by the Pope. In 1481, Sixtus commissioned a team of painters including Florentines

Botticelli Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi ( – May 17, 1510), better known as Sandro Botticelli ( ; ) or simply known as Botticelli, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 1 ...

and

Domenico Ghirlandaio Domenico di Tommaso Curradi di Doffo Bigordi (2 June 1448 – 11 January 1494), professionally known as Domenico Ghirlandaio (also spelt as Ghirlandajo), was an Italian Renaissance painter born in Florence. Ghirlandaio was part of the so-c ...

to take part in the painting of a series of narrative frescos in the

Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel ( ; ; ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and ...

. This was part of healing the breach between Florence and the Vatican.

Ambassador

Gentile de' Becchi's oratorial skills made him the chosen representative of 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 ...

on a number of diplomatic missions, besides his role in making peace after the Pazzi conspiracy. He occupied this role both under Lorenzo and his son

Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici (15 February 1472 – 28 December 1503), called Piero the Fatuous or Piero the Unfortunate, was the lord of Florence from 1492 until his exile in 1494. Early life Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici was the eldest son of Lor ...

who succeeded his father on his death in March 1492. In 1483 Gentile went to France to bear greetings to Charles VIII after his coronation. In 1485 he went on behalf of Florence to negotiate with

over hostilities with

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II, also known as Ferdinand I, Ferdinand III, and Ferdinand V (10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), called Ferdinand the Catholic, was King of Aragon from 1479 until his death in 1516. As the husband and co-ruler of Queen Isabella I of ...

. In 1492 he was sent by Piero to bear greetings to the newly elected

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 1493 and 1494 he was in France with

Piero Soderini Piero di Tommaso Soderini (March 17, 1451 – June 13, 1522), also known as Pier Soderini, was an Italian statesman of the Republic of Florence. Biography Soderini was born in Florence to Tommaso di Lorenzo Soderini, a member of an old family ...

negotiating peace between Florence and Charles VIII who was planning to invade Italy. Imprudent actions by Piero, who was known as "Piero the Unfortunate", towards the French king angered the Florentines and on 9 November 1494 Piero was forced to flee to the safety of

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, leaving the Medici Palace to be ransacked by an angry mob.Hugh Ross Williamson, pp. 270–74

Death

Gentile did not return to Florence after the exile of the Medici. He lived until his death at Villa alle Botte, and died, in 1497, in Arezzo, where his body was buried in

Arezzo Cathedral Arezzo Cathedral () is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Arezzo in Tuscany, Italy. It is located on the site of a pre-existing Palaeo-Christian church and, perhaps, of the ancient city's acropolis. History The first cathedral of Arezzo ...

References

Bibliography

* Brucker, Gene A., ''Renaissance Florence'', John Wiley and Sons, (1969) * Grayson, Cecil, ''Gentile de' Becchi'', Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani – Volume 7 (1970

(accessed 2014-05-20) * ''Mediateca di Palazzo Medici Riccardi: Gentile de' Becchi''

(accessed 2014-05-15) * Pottinger, George, ''The Court of the Medici'', Croom Helm Ltd. London, (1978) * Williamson, Hugh Ross, ''Lorenzo the Magnificent''. Michael Joseph, London. (1974) {{DEFAULTSORT:Becchi, Gentile de 1420s births 1497 deaths 15th-century Italian poets 15th-century letter writers 15th-century Italian Roman Catholic bishops 15th-century writers in Latin Religious leaders from Urbino Writers from Urbino Christian philosophers Christian humanists Diplomats from Florence Bishops of Arezzo Italian Renaissance humanists Italian letter writers Year of birth uncertain