
Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, known as Piero the Gouty (), (1416 – 2 December 1469) was the ''
de facto'' ruler 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 ...
from 1464 to 1469, during the
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance ( ) was a period in History of Italy, Italian history between the 14th and 16th centuries. The period is known for the initial development of the broader Renaissance culture that spread across Western Europe and marked t ...
.
Biography
Piero was the 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 House of Medici, Medici family as effective rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance. His power derive ...
the Elder and
Contessina de' Bardi. During his father's life, he did not play an extensive role due to his perpetual poor health, the source of his nickname. His brother Giovanni was named as Cosimo's executor, but predeceased his father. In 1461, Piero was the last
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 ...
elected to the office of
Gonfaloniere. His
gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...
often kept him confined to bed. This meant that his bedroom effectively became his office, where he would conduct political meetings. This led to the Medici palace becoming the seat of government in Florence.
Upon taking over the
Medici bank from his father, Piero had a financial overview prepared. The results led him to call up a number of long-standing loans, many to various Medici supporters, which his father had let stand. This immediately drove a good number of the merchants involved into bankruptcy and added to the ranks of those who opposed the Medici. Although not as brilliant a banker as his father, he was able to keep things running smoothly during his tenure.
His time as leader of Florence was marked by an attempted
coup led by
Luca Pitti, Niccolò Soderini,
Diotisalvi Neroni,
Angelo Acciaiuoli and his cousin
Pierfrancesco de' Medici, who used troops provided by
Borso d'Este,
Duke of Modena and Reggio
This is a list of rulers of the estates owned by the Este family, which main line of Marquesses (''Marchesi d'Este'') rose in 1039 with Albert Azzo II, Margrave of Milan. The name "Este" is related to the city where the family came from, Este. ...
, and commanded by his brother
Ercole d'Este, planned for 26 August 1466. Piero was warned by
Giovanni II Bentivoglio and was able to escape the coup, in part because his son Lorenzo discovered a road-block set up by the conspirators to capture Piero in his trip toward the Medici
Villa di Careggi; he was not recognized and was able to warn his father. The coup failed, as did an attempted repeat backed by
Venice
Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
, using troops commanded by
Bartolomeo Colleoni. It has been argued
that the "coup" was in fact a legitimate attempt to limit the power of the Medici faction and restore a system of government in keeping with Florence's traditional republican ideals, and that to refer to it as a "coup" or a "conspiracy" legitimizes Piero's ''de facto'' and hereditary (but wholly unconstitutional) status as leader of the city.
In 1467, Piero had to face a war against the
Republic of Venice
The Republic of Venice, officially the Most Serene Republic of Venice and traditionally known as La Serenissima, was a sovereign state and Maritime republics, maritime republic with its capital in Venice. Founded, according to tradition, in 697 ...
prompted by the Florentine support given to
Galeazzo Maria Sforza, the new
duke of Milan
Milan was ruled by dukes from the 13th century to 1814, after which it was incorporated into the Kingdom of Lombardy–Venetia by the Congress of Vienna.
List of dukes of Milan House of Visconti
In 1395, Gian Galeazzo Visconti was titled Duke ...
. However, the Venetian army under Colleoni was defeated at the
Battle of Molinella by a league of Florence,
Naples
Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...
, the
Papal States
The Papal States ( ; ; ), officially the State of the Church, were a conglomeration of territories on the Italian peninsula under the direct sovereign rule of the pope from 756 to 1870. They were among the major states of Italy from the 8th c ...
and Milan.
Piero also continued the family's tradition of artistic patronage, including
Gozzoli's fresco ''
Procession of the Magi'' in the
Palazzo Medici Riccardi (in which are also present both of Piero's sons,
Lorenzo and
Giuliano, as well as Piero himself). His taste was more eclectic than that of his father, extending to Dutch and Flemish artworks.
Piero continued to collect rare books, adding many to the Medici collections. With a strong interest in humanism, he commissioned
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 ...
to translate Plato and other classical works. Ficino dedicated several books to him, such as De Sole.
Piero died in 1469 as a result of gout and lung disease. He is buried in the
Church of San Lorenzo, next to his brother
Giovanni. The tomb, created by
Andrea del Verrocchio
Andrea del Verrocchio ( , , ; born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni; – 1488) was an Italian sculpture, sculptor, List of Italian painters, painter and goldsmith who was a master of an important workshop in Florence.
He apparently bec ...
, was commissioned by his sons Lorenzo and Giuliano.
Marriage and issue
On 3 June 1444, Piero married
Lucrezia Tornabuoni (1427–1482). Their children include
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
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 ...
. All his family is likely portrayed in the famous painting by Botticelli known as the
Madonna of the Magnificat, in which Lucrezia Tornabuoni appears as the Virgin Mary.
In all, Lucrezia gave birth to at least six children:
*
Bianca (1445–1505) – married Guglielmo
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 ...
*
Lucrezia "Nannina" (1448–1493)
*
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 ...
(1449–1492)
*
Giuliano (1453–1478)
*
Maria (1455–1479) – married Leonetto Rossi and was the mother of Cardinal
Luigi de' Rossi.
*Two sons died as newborn
Before his marriage, Piero had an illegitimate son by an unknown woman:
*
Giovanni – married Luigia di Giovanni de' Medici
Fictional depictions
A young Piero is portrayed by
Alessandro Sperduti in the 2016 television series ''
Medici: Masters of Florence''. An older Piero is portrayed by
Julian Sands in the first two episodes of the second season, ''Medici: The Magnificent''.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Medici, Piero Di Cosimo De'
Heads of state of Florence
1416 births
1469 deaths
Piero di Cosimo
Piero di Cosimo (2 January 1462 – 12 April 1522), also known as Piero di Lorenzo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, who continued to use an essentially Early Renaissance style into the 16th century.
He is most famous for the mythologica ...
15th-century people from the Republic of Florence
Italian bankers
Medieval bankers
15th-century Italian nobility
Italian art patrons
15th-century Italian businesspeople
Italian Roman Catholics