April 26
Pazzi Family Attacks Medici Brothers in Florence Cathedral
Rival banking families and papal allies launched a coordinated strike against the Medici brothers during Easter Mass in Florence's cathedral, with deadly but ultimately unsuccessful results.
Summary
In the late 15th century, Florence thrived under the de facto rule of the Medici banking family, whose wealth and political influence shaped Renaissance culture and diplomacy across Italy. Rival families and external powers, including Pope Sixtus IV, resented Lorenzo de' Medici's dominance and plotted to eliminate him and his brother Giuliano. On Easter Sunday, April 26, 1478, during High Mass in Florence Cathedral, conspirators including Francesco de' Pazzi and Bernardo Bandini dei Baroncelli struck simultaneously. Giuliano was fatally stabbed, while Lorenzo suffered a neck wound but escaped to the sacristy and then safety. The failed coup triggered swift Medici reprisals, with several plotters executed and the Pazzi family's influence crushed.
Context
By the mid-fifteenth century, the Medici had established themselves as Florence's leading bankers and de facto political leaders, building on the foundation laid by Cosimo de' Medici and continued under his son Piero. Lorenzo de' Medici, who assumed effective control after his father's death in 1469, maintained this position through patronage of the arts, strategic marriages, and a network of alliances that helped stabilize relations among Italian states following the Peace of Lodi.
What Happened
Tensions had risen sharply after Pope Sixtus IV's election in 1471, as the pontiff favored his relatives with territories and appointments that clashed with Medici interests. The purchase of the strategic town of Imola went to the pope's nephew Girolamo Riario instead of Florence, and the appointment of Francesco Salviati as archbishop of Pisa was blocked by the Florentines. These disputes drew the Pazzi family, longtime Medici banking rivals, into a plot with Salviati, Riario, and tacit papal encouragement to remove the brothers Lorenzo and Giuliano from power.
Aftermath
On Easter Sunday, 26 April 1478, the attack occurred inside the Duomo during High Mass. Francesco de' Pazzi and Bernardo Bandini dei Baroncelli fatally stabbed Giuliano, while Lorenzo suffered a neck wound from Antonio Maffei da Volterra and Stefano da Bagnone but escaped into the sacristy and then to safety with assistance from defenders including Francesco Nori, who was killed in the fray. Archbishop Salviati's simultaneous attempt to seize the Palazzo della Signoria failed when no popular revolt materialized.
Legacy
Medici loyalists responded at once with public executions. Salviati, Francesco de' Pazzi, and others were hanged from the windows of the Palazzo della Signoria that same day. Jacopo de' Pazzi was captured after fleeing, tortured, and hanged beside Salviati's body; his corpse was later desecrated and thrown into the Arno. More than eighty people were implicated, dozens executed, and the Pazzi family was banished with its name and arms suppressed.
Why It Matters
The attack exposed deep factional rivalries in Italian city-states and reinforced Medici control, allowing Lorenzo to navigate subsequent wars through diplomacy. It also inspired later artistic and literary reflections on power and betrayal in Renaissance Florence.
Related Questions
Why did the Pazzi oppose the Medici?
The two families were rival bankers, and the Pazzi aligned with papal interests that clashed with Lorenzo's dominance in Florence.
What was the Pope's involvement?
Sixtus IV encouraged the removal of the Medici from power and offered assistance short of direct approval for murder.
How did Lorenzo survive?
He received only a neck wound, fought off attackers with help from allies, and reached the sacristy before escaping.
What immediate punishments followed?
Dozens of conspirators, including Salviati and Francesco de' Pazzi, were hanged publicly from the government palace the same day.
Did the plot change Florence's government?
No; the failure led to harsher Medici control, the exile of the Pazzi, and suppression of their family name.
How is the event commemorated?
Through contemporary medals, a drawing by Leonardo da Vinci of a hanged conspirator, and later historical accounts of Renaissance intrigue.
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Sources
- Pazzi conspiracy, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-07-09.