LORENZO II DE MEDICI
At the end of the 14th century Giovanni di Bicci de Medici founded the Medici bank in Florence. It soon became Europe’s largest bank. In the 15 th century they were granted a monopoly on mining alum which had been discovered in Italy. It was extensively used in dyes for cloth and had previously only been available from Turkey.
Shortly after the discovery, Giovanni’s great grandson was born – Lorenzo the Magnificent.
When Lorenzo the Magnificent’s brother was assassinated, he adopted his brother’s
illegitimate child and brought him up with his own three sons. One of Lorenzo’s sons became Pope Leo X and later the illegitimate son he had raised became Pope Clement VII. His eldest son Piero was the father of Lorenzo II who married Madeleine de la Tour
d’Auvergne.
When they married in 1518 Lorenzo II was the heir to the Medici fortune and ruler of
Florence. He was also the nephew of the Pope Leo X. Macchiavelli had dedicated “The Prince” to him.
François I hosted the wedding at the royal chateau in Amboise. Lorenzo arrived with 36
packhorses transporting all the gifts from the Pope to Francois, including a lit de parade
encrusted with tortoise shell, mother of pearl and precious stones and two Raphael paintings (now in Louvre).
A year later, Catherine was born in Florence. Both her mother and father died within three weeks of her birth.
