On 26 April 1478, Florence was shaken by one of the most infamous political assassinations of the Renaissance, the Pazzi Conspiracy.

(Archivist note: while the event took place during the Late Middle Ages, Florence had already entered the Renaissance period)

During High Mass in the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Flower (Florence Cathedral), members of the Pazzi family and their allies launched a coordinated attack on the ruling Medici brothers, Lorenzo de' Medici and Giuliano de' Medici.

Giuliano was killed in the assault, stabbed multiple times on the cathedral floor, while Lorenzo narrowly escaped with his life. The attack was a political plot involving rival banking interests and even support from elements within the Church. The goal was simple: remove the Medici and seize control of Florence.

The plan failed almost immediately. The city rallied behind Lorenzo, and the conspirators were quickly hunted down and executed, many of them in brutal public fashion.

Over 80 people involved in the plot were executed, some were hanged from the windows of the Palazzo della Signoria, Florence’s town hall. The remaining Pazzi family were banished from Florence.

Instead of weakening Medici power, the conspiracy strengthened it, securing Lorenzo’s position and cementing his legacy as one of Florence’s most powerful figures.

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