Parents: Cosimo, patriarch of Florence, and Contessina de' Bardi
Date of Birth: 1416
House: Medici
Spouse(s): Lucrezia, daughter of Francesco di Simone Tornabuoni and Nanna di Niccolo di Luigi
Predecessor: Cosimo
Reign: 1464 – 1469
Brief: Raised without a strong knowledge of Florentine politics due to ill health, Piero was never meant to become the patriarch of Florence. His elder brother, Giovanni, was designated heir but predeceased Cosimo. Piero became gonfaloniere, a Florentine political leader, in 1461 and succeeded his father three years later. Immediately after taking office, Piero recalled all overdue loans to the Medici Bank, bankrupting numerous local merchants and angering the populace. The Duke of Modena attempted to stage a coup in Florence, enlisting members of the local nobility including a Medici cousin in the attempt. The coup failed, as did another the next year sponsored by Venice. In 1467, Piero went to war with Venice over support of the new Duke of Milan. The Venetians were defeated by a joint Florentine, Neapolitan, Papal, and Milanese alliance. Culturally, Piero sponsored the arts in Florence, commissioning numerous works that featured himself and his family. He stepped down from office in favor of his son, Lorenzo, in 1469 and died the next year of gout and lung disease.
Date of Death: 2 December 1470
Brief: Raised without a strong knowledge of Florentine politics due to ill health, Piero was never meant to become the patriarch of Florence. His elder brother, Giovanni, was designated heir but predeceased Cosimo. Piero became gonfaloniere, a Florentine political leader, in 1461 and succeeded his father three years later. Immediately after taking office, Piero recalled all overdue loans to the Medici Bank, bankrupting numerous local merchants and angering the populace. The Duke of Modena attempted to stage a coup in Florence, enlisting members of the local nobility including a Medici cousin in the attempt. The coup failed, as did another the next year sponsored by Venice. In 1467, Piero went to war with Venice over support of the new Duke of Milan. The Venetians were defeated by a joint Florentine, Neapolitan, Papal, and Milanese alliance. Culturally, Piero sponsored the arts in Florence, commissioning numerous works that featured himself and his family. He stepped down from office in favor of his son, Lorenzo, in 1469 and died the next year of gout and lung disease.
Date of Death: 2 December 1470
Successor: Lorenzo I
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Hanazono, emperor of Japan (1348)
- Albert VI, archduke of Austria (1463)
