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Two Families of the Renaissance

© Meg Greene Malvasi

During the Renaissance, Italy was not a nation but was composed of a number of small, independent city-states. These city-states were governed either by a single family or by a small number of wealthy families. This ruling elite had gained power and prestige not only through their military exploits but also through commerce, banking, and manufacture. The more affluent even commanded their own private armies. Families grew wealthier and more powerful by making strategic alliances with other prominent families--alliances often cemented through arranged marriages. Two of the most famous, or infamous, Renaissance ruling families were the Medici family of Florence and the Borgia family of Rome. The Medici came to power in 1434 when Cosimo the Elder (1398-1464), who at the time was the head of the largest bank in Europe, seized control of the government when it could no longer pay its debts. Cosimo then forced his political opponents into exile. His son, Piero (1416-1469), added to the family fortune and to his own political power through a series of brilliantly arranged marriages for his children. But it was Cosimo's grandson Lorenzo (1449-1492), known as "il Magnifico," the Magnificent, who did the most to extend his family's influence. Lorenzo embodied the ideal "Renaissance Man." He was not only skilled at politics, diplomacy, and war, but was a shrewd businessman, an accomplished athlete, a talented poet, and a generous patron of the arts. Lorenzo supported many of the most gifted artists and architects of the period, and commissioned them to grace Florence with some of the most beautiful paintings, sculptures, and buildings produced during the Renaissance. As a result, the city became the envy of Europe. Lorenzo's stature often placed him in harm's way . In 1478, for example, he narrowly escaped assassination while attending church with his brother. His enemies, the ambitious Pazzi family in league with Pope Sixtus IV, had hoped to do away with Lorenzo and seize control of Florence for themselves. The pope, who commanded his own troops, was so angry at the failed assassination attempt that he declared war on the Medici family. Lorenzo escaped and found his way to Naples. There he formed a military alliance with the ruler of Naples that enabled him to return to Florence in triumph. Although perhaps less well-known and less powerful than the Medici, the Borgia family has an even more sinister reputation. They are remembered as much for their treachery as for their political accomplishments. The head of the family,

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