Royal history: Who was Allesandro de' Medici?
Florence and the de’ Medici family share a rich and complex history. This week, we take a closer look at Alessandro de’ Medici (1510–1537), known as "Il Moro," the first Duke of Florence and a key figure in the Medici family's transition from republican rulers to hereditary monarchs. About Him On 22 July 1510, Alessandro de' Medici was born in Florence. He was officially recognized as the son of Lorenzo II de’ Medici, though some accounts suggest he may have been the illegitimate son of Pope Clement VII, his uncle. His mother is believed to have been a woman of African descent, possibly a servant or enslaved woman in the Medici household, making him one of the first known rulers of European descent with African ancestry. Childhood Alessandro spent his early childhood in Rome, receiving a humanist education under the scholar Pierio Valeriano Bolzani, supervised by Pope Leo X and Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici. During these years, a series of unexpected deaths in the Medici...