Pazzi Conspiracy
The Pazzi Famiglia
the Pazzi family crest
Who were these people and why did they so hate the Medici? We should begin with the Pazzi, for they were at the center of the conspiracy.
The Pazzi were an old family, formerly members of the Florentine nobility, in fact. They had given up their noble status in 1381 because Florentine law forbade any noble to serve in public office. Being hard-headed, the Florentines knew that aristocrats could not be trusted. The family had already been engaged in trade, and once they gained public office, their fortunes flourished.
By the middle of the 1400s, they were one of the wealthiest families in Florence, with the usual combination of banking, finance, and trade. In fact, just about the only family that outshone the Pazzi in wealth and honors was … the Medici.
Key Characters
At the time of the conspiracy, head of the family was Messer Jacopo de' Pazzi, called Messer because he had petitioned to regain noble status and quite proud of it he was. Jacopo was an old man by the 1470s, still vigorous, and was generally regarded as a good sort of fellow if a bit stiff and formal. Jacopo was brought into the conspiracy fairly late. The conspirators knew they needed his support because he was the head of the family, but they feared he would object, so they left him out of it until matters were well progressed.
The chief conspirator in the family was Francesco de' Pazzi, one of Jacopo's many nephews. Besides Francesco were the brothers, brothers Andrea and Piero. Other relatives in the conspiracy were Giovanni, Renato, and Guglielmo de' Pazzi. This last fellow was a young man, handsome and popular. He was married to Bianca de' Medici, which shows that even when families were rivals, they were able to intermarry.
But the Pazzi weren't the only family that felt aggrieved and overshadowed by the Medici.