Alessandro de 'Medici
Alessandro de 'Medici (* July 22, 1510 , † January 6, 1537 ), called il Moro ("the dark one" or "the Moor") because of his dark skin , was Duca della città di Penna and city lord of Florence from 1530 until 1537, from 1532 as Duke in Florence . Although he was born out of wedlock, as the last ruler of the city from the older Medici branch, he was also the first holder of the hereditary ducal dignity.
Life
Alessandro was recognized as the illegitimate son of Lorenzo di Piero de 'Medici . However, it is not unlikely that his father is actually Giulio de 'Medici, who later became Pope Clement VII. Some historians, including Christopher Hibbert, believe his mother, a black servant at the Medici court, is documented to have identified his mother as Simonetta da Collavechio to have.
Already since 1523 Alessandro ruled the city like a duke, appointed by his relative Clement VII. When the soldiers of Emperor Charles V sacked the city of Rome in 1527 ( Sacco di Roma ), the Florentines took advantage of the unrest in Italy to attack the Medici chase away and rebuild the republic. Alessandro, Ippolito de 'Medici and most of their supporters fled, including the Pope's representative, Silvio Passerini . Michelangelo , who at the time was building a burial chapel for the Medici, now took care of the reinforcement of the city walls of Florence , which is why he later had to flee himself at times. Clement VII made peace with the emperor, the republic was overthrown with the help of imperial troops after a long siege and the Medici returned to power in the summer of 1530. Clemens handed the city over to the now 19-year-old Alessandro, who had been made Duke. He entered the city on July 5, 1531 to take over the government, and was nine months later (was the Tuscan countryside outside of the Emperor Papal States ) hereditary Duke of Florence appointed.
His enemies among the exiles succeeded in spreading the view that his government was ruthless and incompetent, an opinion that later historians have often debated. A relic of his government is the Fortezza da Basso , which was built in 1534 according to the plans of Antonio da Sangallo the Younger : the largest historical monument in the city is sometimes regarded as a symbol of the power of the Medici. In 1535 the Florentine opposition sent Ippolito de 'Medici to Emperor Charles because of some of the Duke's actions. Ippolito died on the way, and the rumor was spread that he had been poisoned on Alessandro's orders.
On October 27, 1533, Alessandro's half-sister Caterina de 'Medici , the only legitimate descendant of Lorenzo II, married the French King Henry II (1518–1559). On February 29, 1536, Alessandro married Margaret of Parma , an illegitimate daughter of the emperor. However, Alessandro seems to have stayed with his mistress Taddea Malaspina, who bore him his only children, including the son Giulio de 'Medici, who was born sometime between 1527 and 1532 and died in 1600, and a daughter, Giulia de' Medici.
A few months after his marriage, on January 6, 1537, Alessandro was murdered by his distant cousin Lorenzino de 'Medici , who portrayed his act as a tyrannical murder in the interests of the republic. When the opposition failed to take power, Lorenzino fled to Venice , where he was murdered about eleven years later. The Medici supporters brought Cosimo I de 'Medici to power, the first representative of the younger line of the family.
literature
- Christopher Hibbert: The House of Medici. Its rise and fall. 1999.
- Ferdinand Schevill: History of Florence. 1936.
- Giorgio Spini: ALESSANDRO de 'Medici, primo duca di Firenze. In: Alberto M. Ghisalberti (Ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 2: Albicante – Ammannati. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 1960.
Web links
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
|
Giulio de 'Medici Republic until 1530 |
Lord / Duke of Florence 1523–1527 1530–1537 |
Republic until 1530 Cosimo I de 'Medici |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Medici, Alessandro de ' |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | il Moro (nickname, Italian); the Moor (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Duca della città di Penna and Duke of Florence |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 22, 1510 |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 6, 1537 |