Jacopo de' Pazzi (1423 – 26 April 1478) was a Florentine banker who became head 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 ...

in 1464, and the younger child of Andrea de' Pazzi and Costanza de' Bardi. He commissioned Palazzo Pazzi between 1462 and 1472. Stefano di Ser Niccolo da Bagnone served as a

secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

to Jacopo and

tutor Tutoring is private academic help, usually provided by an expert teacher; someone with deep knowledge or defined expertise in a particular subject or set of subjects. A tutor, formally also called an academic tutor, is a person who provides assis ...

to his daughter

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 ...

. He was killed alongside his nephews

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 ...

after the failed

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 ...

, which was a plot to remove the

Medici family 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 ...

from power in Florence. The conspiracy was proposed in

Montughi 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 ...

, at Jacopo's villa, when several individuals dissatisfied with the Medici's rule over the

Florentine Republic The Republic of Florence (; Old Italian: ), known officially as the Florentine Republic, was a Italy in the Middle Ages, medieval and Italian Renaissance, early modern state that was centered on the Italian city-states, Italian city of Florence ...

met to plan the assassination of

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 de' Medici Giuliano de' Medici (28 October 1453 – 26 April 1478) was the second son of Piero de' Medici (the Gouty) and Lucrezia Tornabuoni. As co-ruler of the Florentine Republic, with his brother Lorenzo the Magnificent, he complemented his broth ...

, which would allow them to take over the government of Florence. On 26 April 1478,

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 ...

, the conspirators attempted to kill Lorenzo and Giuliano while the pair were attending High Mass at the

Santa Maria del Fiore Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christm ...

cathedral; Giuliano was stabbed to death, but Lorenzo was only wounded and managed to escape to safety. After the failed assassination attempt, Jacopo went home and found Francesco with a wound in one leg, possibly self-inflicted. With 100 armed men, Jacopo then ran through the streets of Florence crying "Liberty!", but when Francesco was dragged from his bed and hanged, Jacopo fled the city. While hiding in the village of Castagno, he was recognised and sent back to Florence, where he was tortured and hanged next to the decomposing body of fellow Pazzi conspirator Francesco Salviati. After being buried at Santa Croce, Jacopo's body was dug up, thrown in a ditch, dragged through the streets, and propped up at the door of the Palazzo Pazzi, where his head was mockingly used as a door knocker. After that, his body was thrown into the

Arno The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber. Source and route The river originates on Monte Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennines, and initially takes a sou ...

, where it was retrieved by children, hung from a willow tree, flogged, and thrown back into the river.

In popular culture

Jacopo de' Pazzi appears as an antagonist in the video game ''

Assassin's Creed II ''Assassin's Creed II'' is a 2009 action-adventure game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is the second major installment in the Assassin's Creed, ''Assassin's Creed'' series, and the sequel to 2007's ''Assassin's Creed ...

'', in which he is portrayed as an elderly man rather than middle-aged and is a member of the

Templar Order The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a military order of the Catholic faith, and one of the most important military orders in Western Christianity. They were founded in 11 ...

. After Lorenzo de' Medici is saved by protagonist Ezio Auditore during the Pazzi conspiracy, Jacopo flees Florence and hides out in

San Gimignano San Gimignano (; named after St. Geminianus) is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Five Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the pr ...

until 1480, when he is mortally wounded by the Templar grandmaster

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 ...

during a Templar meeting for his failure to dispose of the Medici. Ezio, who had followed Jacopo to the meeting, then proceeds to put him out of his misery.

Sean Bean Sean Bean (born Shaun Mark Bean; 17 April 1959) is an English actor. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he made his professional debut in a production of ''Romeo and Juliet'' in 1983 at The Watermill Theatre. Retaining his ...

portrays Jacopo de' Pazzi in the second season of the drama series '' Medici: Masters of Florence''.

References

Bibliography

* * {{Authority control 1423 births 1478 deaths Pazzi family People executed by Florence Italian bankers 15th-century Italian businesspeople People executed by hanging