A dramatic royal history event in Florence

The Murder of Giuliano de' Medici: The Pazzi Conspiracy On the morning of April 26, 1478, Easter Sunday, Florence Cathedral—Santa Maria del Fiore—was filled with the devout, the curious, and the powerful. Among them were two of the most prominent figures in Florence: Lorenzo de’ Medici, known as Il Magnifico, and his younger brother, Giuliano de’ Medici. The brothers were the de facto rulers of Florence, widely admired but also deeply resented by rival factions. A plot That day, unbeknownst to the congregation, a meticulously plotted conspiracy was about to unfold—a plan that would shake the Republic of Florence to its core. The plot had been hatched by the Pazzi family, wealthy Florentine bankers with ambitions to unseat the de' Medici. They were backed by Francesco Salviati, the Archbishop of Pisa, and, more ominously, by Pope Sixtus IV, who opposed the de' Medici's influence in central Italy. The Pope’s nephew, Girolamo Riario, was also involved, giving the plot t...