[December 2] Piero, patriarch of Florence

Soubriquet: "The Gouty" (il Gottoso)
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

Successor: Lorenzo I

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Hanazono, emperor of Japan (1348)
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[April 21] Cosimo I, grand duke of Tuscany

Parents: Lodovico de Medici and Maria Salviati

Date of Birth: 12 June 1519

House: Medici

Spouse: Eleanor, daughter of Pedro Álvarez de Toledo, Marquis of Villafranca, and Maria Osorio, then Camilla, daughter of Antonio Martelli and Elisabetta Soderini

Predecessor: Alessandro

Reign: 1569 – 1574

Summary: Cosimo won renown for the Medici family like none other before him. Born in Florence to a Medici condottiere, Cosimo became Duke of Florence at the age of 17 when his cousin, Alessandro, was assassinated leaving no legitimate heir. The new duke was relatively unknown in Florence but he was viewed as capable and many hoped to use the duke as a pawn in their own schemes. When Cosimo took over leadership of Florence, he was not so easily manipulated. Exiled Florentines marched on the city in 1537 with French support and Cosimo defeated them soundly, solidifying his rule in Florence. Holy Roman Emperor Charles V recognized his authority over Florence that same year and invested the Medici family with complete control over the duchy. Cosimo began a small expansionist movement a few years later. In 1554, he laid siege to Siena. By 1559, all of Siena was under Florentine control. In recognition of his mastery of north-central Italy, Pope Pius V elevated Cosimo to the rank of Grand Duke of Tuscany in 1569.

Cosimo ruled with an iron fist, employing Swiss mercenaries to do his dirty work. He even had his relative, Lorenzino de Medici, assassinated to further solidify his claim to Florence. He was also an active builder. He expanded the military and public buildings across his realm, placing a heavy tax burden on the people. His most famous building was the Uffizi which today houses Florence's most famous art museum. Cosimo expanded the Florentine navy and founded the heraldic Order of Saint Stephen. By 1564, he resigned from active politics leaving the government of Florence then Tuscany to his son, Francesco. His two other surviving sons both died of malaria. Cosimo eventually died at his Villa di Castello in the Florentine countryside. His son then succeeded him as grand duke.

Date of Death: 21 April 1574

Successor: Francesco I

Other Monarch Deaths:

Alexander II, pope of Rome (1073)

Frederick IV, duke of Lorraine (1329)

Henry VII, king of England (1509)

[January 6] Alessandro, duke of Florence

Surname: "The Moor"

Parents: Probably Giulio de' Medici (later Pope Clement VII) and a mulatto servant woman, Simonetta da Collevechio

Date of birth: 22 July 1510

Royal House: Medici

Spouse: Margaret, illegitimate daughter of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and Johanna Maria van der Gheynst
Predecessor: None; founded monarchy

Reign: 1530 – 1537

Summary: Alessandro was the only recognized son of the Florentine patriarch Lorenzo II de' Medici. Though probably the actual son of Lorenzo's clerical brother, Giulio, he was accepted as Lorenzo's son for political reasons. The family fled Florence in 1527 ahead of an Imperial army led by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. In their departure, the Florentines re-established the Florentine Republic, a political entity that had existed intermittently for centuries. Giulio, now Pope Clement VII, made peace with Charles and installed his illegitimate son, Alessandro, as the first sovereign duke of Florence. Charles V approved the appointment and made it hereditary in 1531. 

Alessandro was not known to be a good ruler and was especially harsh to his opponents. He may have even been responsible for the death of his cousin, Ippolito, who died while en route to Charles V to appeal actions of the duke. Alessandro's largest statement of power was the Fortezza da Basso, the tallest tower in Florence at the time. The young duke was eventually assassinated by his own cousin, Lorenzino, who was in turn forced to flee and was killed a decade later in Venice.

Date of Death: 6 January 1537

Successor: Cosimo I, duke of Florence

Other Monarchs Who Died Today:

• Christopher, king of Denmark, Norway and Sweden (1448)
• Akhmat Khan, khan of the Golden Horde (1481)
• Johann Casimir, elector of the Palatinate of the Rhine (1592)
• Mehmed IV, sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1693)