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HISTORICAL ABSTRACT. 83
theMedici. The quarrelisfosteredby GirolamoRiario,son ofthe 1478
Pope,inthe interestof his father;and Ferdinand of Naples,discontentedwiththe
existingleague between Florence,Venice and
Milan, secretlyaidsthe Pazzi. Hence a conspiracyis organised
by theleadingmembers of the Pazzifamilyand theiradherents,
for the purpose of murdering Lorenzo and Giuhano de'Medici.
The firstattempttoexecutethe scheme fails, and theconspirators
resolvein consequence to effecthe murder in the Cathedralo11
Easter-day,April26. Giulianoiskilledby Bernardo Bandini and
Francesco dei Pazzi: Lorenzo, wounded by Antonio Maffei
[brotherof Raffaelthepainter],escapeswith hislife.An attempt
made at the same time by the Archbishopof Pisato seizethe
PalazzoVecchio isfrustrated; and he ishimselftakenprisonerby
the Gon[aloniereCesare Petrucci.Jacopo de' Pazzi callsthe
people to arms, but a generalrisingtakes placein favourof the
Medici,and the conspirators, with a few exceptions,are killed,
exiled,or imprisoned.
[The Pazzi _arnfly.
Andrea.
J
J
Piero,
t
Jaeopo,
I
Antonio.
Gonfal. in 1462.
f
Gonfal. in 1469. t
I I
Galeotto. Renato
I I I ]
Andrea. Giovanni. Niccol6. _rancesco.
I I
Giovanni. Guglielmo,
married Bianca.
d. of Piero de'
Medici.
Chief conspirators, not belonging to the Pazzi family :--Francesco
Salviati, Archbishop of Pisa; his brother Jacopo Salviati; Giovan
Battista da Montesecco, eondottiere in the service of Sixtus IV;
Bernardo Bandini ; Jacopo di Poggio Braeciolini ; Girolamo Riario ;
Raffaello Riario, Cardinal of San Giorgio.]
l_osults of the Pazzi conspiraey.--Lorenzo's position at Florence
greatly strengthened, i. by the annihilation of the only family
capable of withstanding him ; ii. by the death of Giuliano, which
leaves the government concentrated in his hands alone. The constitution
continues to be nominally republican, but the government
is in reality in the hands of the leading citizen.
The collapse of the attempt to destroy the Medici leads the Pope,
under whose sanction the whole plot had been formed, to attack
the Medici openly. Florence is placed under an interdict [which is
disregarded], and Sixtus in conjunction with Ferdinand of Naples
levies troops which enter the Val di Chiana: Frederick Duke of
Urbino, captain of the Papal troops ; Alfonso Duke of Calabria, and
his brother Frederick, join the army to direct the operations. The
G2