The Pazzi family in Florence belonged to the city’s wealthy banking and merchant elite, but one extraordinary event transformed their name forever. On 26 April 1478, conspirators attacked Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici during Mass inside Florence Cathedral in an attempt to destroy Medici power and seize control of the Florentine government.
Giuliano was murdered beneath Brunelleschi’s great dome. Lorenzo escaped wounded. At almost the same moment, another group attempted to take control of the government at Palazzo della Signoria. Within hours, the conspiracy had collapsed and Florence descended into brutal retaliation.
Yet the Pazzi were much more than conspirators. Long before 1478, they had accumulated wealth through commerce and banking, participated in republican politics and supported important architectural projects. Their story therefore reveals both sides of Renaissance Florence: extraordinary cultural ambition and ruthless competition for political power.
Family: Pazzi
Origins: Medieval Florence
Main activities: Banking, commerce, property and politics
Key conspirators: Jacopo de’ Pazzi and Francesco de’ Pazzi
Most famous event: Pazzi Conspiracy, 26 April 1478
Targets: Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici
Outcome: Giuliano killed, Lorenzo survived
Political result: Medici power strengthened
Architectural legacy: Pazzi Chapel at Santa Croce
The Pazzi belonged to the competitive world of dynasties explored in our Most Famous Florentine Families – Complete Guide.
Historical Timeline of the Pazzi Family
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 12th century | The Pazzi emerge among Florence’s established families. |
| 14th century | The family expands its commercial and financial activities. |
| 15th century | The Pazzi become one of Florence’s prominent banking and merchant dynasties. |
| 1440s | Work progresses on the Pazzi Chapel at Santa Croce. |
| 1469 | Lorenzo de’ Medici becomes the leading political figure of the Medici family. |
| 26 April 1478 | The Pazzi Conspiracy culminates in the assassination of Giuliano de’ Medici inside Florence Cathedral. |
| 1478 | The conspiracy collapses. Leading participants are executed and the Pazzi face exile, confiscation and political suppression. |
| 1494 | The Medici are expelled from Florence and surviving members of the Pazzi family are able to return. |
| Today | The Pazzi name remains associated both with the conspiracy and with the Renaissance masterpiece of the Pazzi Chapel. |
Who Were the Pazzi Family?
The Pazzi were one of Florence’s old and distinguished families. Their history reached back into the Middle Ages, when Florence was developing into one of Europe’s most prosperous commercial republics.
Like the Medici, Strozzi, Pitti and other successful Florentine dynasties, their position did not depend on royal or princely status. Wealth came through commerce, banking, property and participation in civic life.
By the fifteenth century, the Pazzi belonged firmly to Florence’s governing and financial elite. Members held public offices, maintained commercial relationships beyond Tuscany and invested their wealth in property and religious patronage.
The Pazzi and Medici were not simply two families who disliked one another. They belonged to a political world in which banking, papal finance, marriage, public office, patronage and personal alliances were closely interconnected.
Banking, Wealth and Political Influence
Banking was one of the foundations of Florentine power. International merchants needed credit, currency exchange and systems for moving money between distant commercial centres. Successful banking families could transform financial wealth into property, political alliances and social prestige.
The Pazzi participated in this international financial world and developed important connections beyond Florence. Their activities placed them within the same competitive environment as the Medici and other merchant dynasties.
The wider economic background is explored in our Birth of Modern Banking in Florence guide.
In Renaissance Florence, money and politics were difficult to separate. A prosperous banking house could support political allies, finance prestigious buildings and develop relationships with powerful institutions, including the papal court.
The Pazzi Chapel – Before the Conspiracy
Long before their name became associated with political violence, the Pazzi expressed their status through one of Florence’s most important architectural commissions.
The Pazzi Chapel at the Basilica of Santa Croce was conceived decades before the events of 1478. Closely associated with Filippo Brunelleschi, it served both as a chapter house for the Franciscan community and as a prestigious monument connected with the Pazzi family.
Its geometric clarity, restrained decoration and harmonious proportions could hardly provide a greater contrast with the violence later attached to the family name.
The Pazzi Chapel was not created as a memorial to the conspiracy. It was conceived decades earlier and belongs to the family’s cultural and religious patronage. The serenity of the building and the violence of 1478 represent two strikingly different sides of the same Florentine dynasty.
Florence and the Growing Power of the Medici
During the fifteenth century, the political balance of Florence increasingly shifted towards the Medici family.
Florence officially remained a republic. The Medici did not yet rule as dukes, but Cosimo de’ Medici had created an extensive network of political alliances while carefully preserving the outward institutions of republican government.
After Cosimo’s death in 1464 and the death of Piero de’ Medici in 1469, leadership passed to the young Lorenzo de’ Medici. Lorenzo combined political influence, diplomacy, family alliances and cultural prestige to strengthen the Medici position.
Not every powerful Florentine family accepted this concentration of influence. Financial competition, political ambition and disputes involving the papacy gradually created an increasingly dangerous situation.
Why Did the Pazzi Conspiracy Happen?
The conspiracy was not the result of a single family quarrel. Several conflicts overlapped.
| Factor | Why It Mattered |
|---|---|
| Political power | Opponents resented the increasingly dominant position of the Medici within the Florentine Republic. |
| Banking | Powerful banking families competed for financial opportunities and international influence. |
| Papal interests | Pope Sixtus IV and members of his circle had political disputes with Lorenzo de’ Medici. |
| Papal finance | The Pazzi developed important financial connections with the papal court. |
| Family prestige | Florence’s leading dynasties competed for offices, alliances and public influence. |
The plot therefore extended beyond a simple rivalry between the Pazzi and Medici. Members of other families and powerful figures outside Florence became involved, including Francesco Salviati, Archbishop of Pisa.
Our article on the Salviati family explores the complicated relationship between that dynasty, the Medici and the conspiracy.
Jacopo and Francesco de’ Pazzi
Two members of the Pazzi family became particularly important during the crisis.
Jacopo de’ Pazzi was a senior figure within the dynasty and became one of the principal leaders associated with the plot. His nephew Francesco de’ Pazzi, closely connected with the family’s banking activities, would take a much more direct role in the assassination itself.
By the spring of 1478, the conspirators had concluded that Medici dominance could not be ended through ordinary political competition. Lorenzo and his younger brother Giuliano would have to be eliminated.
The First Plans Fail
The attack inside the cathedral was not necessarily the conspirators’ original plan. Attempts were made to create an opportunity in which Lorenzo and Giuliano could be attacked together, but circumstances repeatedly interfered.
Giuliano’s absence became a particular problem. Eventually the conspirators turned to one of the few occasions when Florence’s elite could be expected to gather together: High Mass in Florence Cathedral.
The decision was extraordinary. Santa Maria del Fiore was not merely a convenient public building. It was the spiritual heart of Florence, dominated by Brunelleschi’s dome and closely connected with the identity and prestige of the republic.
Yet on Sunday, 26 April 1478, it would become the setting for political assassination.
Bringing Giuliano to the Cathedral
One problem remained. Giuliano de’ Medici had not initially joined the gathering as expected.
Francesco de’ Pazzi and Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli went to fetch him. According to historical accounts, they accompanied Giuliano towards the cathedral in an apparently friendly manner.
A particularly chilling detail preserved in accounts of the conspiracy describes Francesco embracing Giuliano during the walk. The gesture may have allowed him to determine whether Giuliano was wearing protective armour beneath his clothing.
One of the most disturbing details of the Pazzi Conspiracy occurred before anyone entered the cathedral. Francesco de’ Pazzi reportedly embraced Giuliano while accompanying him to the Duomo, possibly checking whether his intended victim was wearing armour.
The Attack Inside Florence Cathedral
Inside Santa Maria del Fiore, the conspirators waited among worshippers, clergy and members of Florence’s elite.
The attack was coordinated with one of the most solemn moments of the Mass. As attention focused on the altar during the elevation, the conspirators moved.
Francesco de’ Pazzi and Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli attacked Giuliano. He was struck repeatedly and collapsed on the cathedral floor. Later accounts describe the violence of the assault as extraordinary.
Giuliano de’ Medici was dead.
Lorenzo was attacked separately. The assault failed to kill him, although he suffered a wound to the neck. Friends and supporters surrounded him and helped him reach the cathedral sacristy, where the doors could be secured.
One of the most ambitious political conspiracies of Renaissance Italy had therefore succeeded in killing only one of its two principal targets.
Standing beneath Brunelleschi’s dome today, it is difficult to imagine the chaos of 26 April 1478. Worshippers had gathered for Mass; within moments Giuliano de’ Medici lay dead and the wounded Lorenzo was being rushed towards the sacristy.
The Other Half of the Coup – Palazzo Vecchio
The assassination inside the cathedral was only one part of the plan.
At almost the same time, another group attempted to take control of the Florentine government at the Palazzo della Signoria, today’s Palazzo Vecchio.
Francesco Salviati, Archbishop of Pisa and one of the principal conspirators, entered the government palace with supporters. The objective was crucial: killing the Medici brothers would achieve little unless the conspirators could simultaneously control the institutions of the republic.
The plan quickly went wrong.
The Gonfaloniere Cesare Petrucci became suspicious. Confusion followed inside the palace, while Salviati and his companions failed to gain control of the government. According to a vivid account preserved in the historical tradition, doors that locked automatically after closing also helped trap members of the group inside.
The second arm of the conspiracy had failed.
The Pazzi Conspiracy was designed as a coup. One group attacked the Medici inside the cathedral while another attempted to seize Florence’s government palace. The failure at Palazzo della Signoria was therefore just as decisive as Lorenzo’s survival.
“Libertà” Against “Palle, Palle”
Outside, the struggle moved into the streets and squares of Florence.
Supporters of the conspiracy attempted to present their actions as the liberation of the republic from Medici domination. Cries of “Libertà!” were heard as the conspirators sought popular support.
But the expected uprising did not materialise.
Medici supporters responded with “Palle! Palle!” – a reference to the balls or spheres on the famous Medici coat of arms. The slogan became a declaration of loyalty to Lorenzo and his family.
The contrast captures the political battle in two words: one side claimed republican liberty; the other rallied around the Medici.
The cry “Palle! Palle!” referred to the spheres on the Medici coat of arms. During the collapse of the conspiracy, it became a rallying cry for supporters of Lorenzo de’ Medici.
Why the Conspiracy Collapsed So Quickly
The conspirators had expected the deaths of Lorenzo and Giuliano to trigger a political transformation. Instead, several essential parts of their plan failed almost simultaneously.
| Conspirators’ Objective | Actual Outcome |
|---|---|
| Kill Lorenzo and Giuliano | Giuliano was killed, but Lorenzo survived. |
| Seize the government palace | Salviati’s group failed to take control of Palazzo della Signoria. |
| Trigger a popular uprising | Florence did not rally behind the conspirators. |
| Destroy Medici influence | Lorenzo retained control and gained considerable public support. |
| Transform Florentine politics | The failure ultimately strengthened Medici dominance. |
The survival of Lorenzo was crucial. Instead of creating a political vacuum, the attack left Florence with a living Medici leader around whom supporters could immediately rally.
The Brutal Revenge
The reaction was extraordinarily violent.
Francesco de’ Pazzi was captured and executed. Francesco Salviati was seized at the government palace and killed during the chaotic reprisals. Other conspirators were hunted down as Medici supporters regained control of the city.
Jacopo de’ Pazzi initially escaped Florence but was captured and brought back. He too was executed.
The punishment did not stop with those who had physically participated in the attack. Pazzi property was confiscated, relatives were exiled and the family’s political and public presence was systematically suppressed.
The violence of the aftermath reveals how seriously the attack was regarded. This was not treated simply as the murder of Giuliano de’ Medici. It was understood as an attempt to overthrow Florence’s political order.
The Extraordinary Fate of Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli
One conspirator managed to escape much farther than the others.
Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli, who had participated directly in the attack on Giuliano, fled Florence and eventually reached Constantinople.
Distance did not save him. Sultan Mehmed II had Bandini arrested and returned to Florence, where he was executed in 1479.
The episode demonstrates the extraordinary reach of Medici diplomacy and the international attention generated by the conspiracy.
Leonardo da Vinci made a famous drawing of the executed Bandini hanging in Florence, carefully recording the clothing he wore. The sheet is now one of the most haunting visual documents connected with the aftermath of the conspiracy.
Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli escaped as far as Constantinople after the assassination. He was nevertheless arrested, returned to Florence and executed – an extraordinary epilogue to a conspiracy that had begun beneath the dome of the Duomo.
What Happened to the Pazzi Name?
The punishment of the Pazzi went beyond executions and confiscations. Their public identity itself became a target.
Family emblems were removed and the name was suppressed from public life. The intention was not merely to punish individual conspirators but to dismantle the political identity of the dynasty.
This demonstrates how important family reputation was in Renaissance Florence. A coat of arms, a palace, a chapel or a name carved into stone could communicate power across generations. Removing such symbols was therefore a political act.
Lorenzo the Magnificent After the Conspiracy
The attempt to destroy Lorenzo ultimately strengthened him.
His survival created sympathy and allowed him to present himself as the defender of Florence against a dangerous conspiracy. The failure of the plot weakened important opponents and reinforced the network supporting the Medici.
But the crisis extended beyond Florence. Papal involvement and the execution of Archbishop Salviati contributed to a wider conflict involving Pope Sixtus IV and the Kingdom of Naples.
Lorenzo’s response to these dangers became an important part of his political reputation. His subsequent diplomacy helped establish him as one of the most influential figures in late fifteenth-century Italy.
Our dedicated article on Lorenzo de’ Medici follows this wider story of politics, diplomacy and cultural patronage.
The Return of the Pazzi
Political fortunes in Florence were rarely permanent.
In 1494, only sixteen years after the conspiracy, the Medici themselves were expelled from Florence. The political landscape changed again and surviving members of the Pazzi family were allowed to return.
The dynasty gradually re-entered Florentine society, but the family never recovered the political position it had held before 1478.
More importantly, its historical reputation had changed permanently. One Sunday morning had come to define centuries of family history.
The Pazzi Chapel – A Very Different Legacy
There is a striking irony in the way Florence remembers the Pazzi.
The conspiracy represents violence, political ambition and betrayal. The family’s greatest surviving architectural legacy represents almost the opposite.
Within the cloister of Santa Croce, the Pazzi Chapel is characterised by proportion, geometry, restrained decoration and an extraordinary sense of calm. White walls, grey pietra serena and carefully organised architectural forms create one of the most harmonious spaces associated with the early Renaissance.
The chapel also reminds visitors that it would be misleading to reduce an entire Florentine dynasty to the events of 26 April 1478. The Pazzi had already been merchants, bankers, patrons and participants in Florentine civic life for generations.
The most fascinating way to understand the Pazzi is to visit both the Duomo and the Pazzi Chapel. One preserves the memory of political violence; the other represents architectural harmony. Together they reveal how complex the great families of Renaissance Florence really were.
Places Connected with the Pazzi Conspiracy
| Place | Connection |
|---|---|
| Florence Cathedral | Giuliano de’ Medici was assassinated here and Lorenzo survived the attack. |
| Palazzo Vecchio | Francesco Salviati and his supporters attempted to seize the Florentine government. |
| Piazza della Signoria | The civic heart of Florence and a central setting for the violent aftermath. |
| Santa Croce | The Franciscan complex contains the Pazzi Chapel. |
| Pazzi Chapel | The family’s most important surviving architectural legacy. |
A Pazzi Walk Through Florence
The story of the conspiracy can still be followed almost entirely on foot.
Begin at Florence Cathedral. Stand beneath Brunelleschi’s dome and imagine the extraordinary events of 26 April 1478.
From the Duomo, walk towards Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio. This short journey connects the two simultaneous parts of the conspiracy: assassination in the cathedral and attempted seizure of the government.
Then continue east towards Santa Croce. Finish inside the cloister at the Pazzi Chapel, where the story moves from violence back to architecture and patronage.
Florence Cathedral → Piazza della Signoria → Palazzo Vecchio → Santa Croce → Pazzi Chapel
The entire route is compact and connects the principal locations of the conspiracy with the architectural legacy of the Pazzi family.
Interesting Facts About the Pazzi Family
- ⚜️ The Pazzi belonged to Florence’s wealthy merchant and banking elite long before the conspiracy.
- ⛪ The decisive attack took place during Mass inside Florence Cathedral on 26 April 1478.
- 🗡️ Giuliano de’ Medici was killed, while his brother Lorenzo survived.
- 🏛️ The conspiracy included a simultaneous attempt to seize the Florentine government at Palazzo della Signoria.
- 📣 Supporters of the Medici rallied to the cry “Palle! Palle!”, referring to the spheres on the Medici coat of arms.
- 🌍 Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli escaped to Constantinople but was returned to Florence and executed.
- 🎨 Leonardo da Vinci recorded the executed Bandini in a famous drawing.
- 🏦 The failed conspiracy strengthened Medici power rather than destroying it.
- 🏛️ The Pazzi Chapel remains the family’s greatest architectural legacy.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Pazzi Family
Who were the Pazzi family?
The Pazzi were a wealthy Florentine merchant and banking dynasty. They participated in commerce, finance, politics and religious patronage and are remembered above all for the Pazzi Conspiracy of 1478.
What was the Pazzi Conspiracy?
The Pazzi Conspiracy was an attempt to kill Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici and overthrow Medici political dominance in Florence. The decisive attack took place during Mass in Florence Cathedral on 26 April 1478.
Why did the Pazzi attack the Medici?
The conspiracy developed from a complex combination of political rivalry, financial competition, papal interests, family prestige and opposition to growing Medici influence. It was much more than a personal feud between two families.
Who killed Giuliano de’ Medici?
Francesco de’ Pazzi and Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli were among the principal attackers of Giuliano inside Florence Cathedral. Giuliano suffered numerous wounds and died during the assault.
Did Lorenzo de’ Medici survive?
Yes. Lorenzo was wounded but escaped with the help of supporters and took refuge in the cathedral sacristy.
Was the conspiracy only an assassination attempt?
No. It was also an attempted coup. While Lorenzo and Giuliano were being attacked in the cathedral, Francesco Salviati and other conspirators attempted to take control of the Florentine government at Palazzo della Signoria.
What happened to the conspirators?
The response was rapid and brutal. Several leading conspirators were executed, while Pazzi property was confiscated and members of the wider family faced exile and political restrictions.
What happened to Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli?
Bandini escaped to Constantinople but was arrested there and returned to Florence. He was executed in 1479.
Did the Pazzi family disappear?
No. Surviving members eventually returned after the Medici were expelled from Florence in 1494, although the family never regained its former political position.
Is the Pazzi Chapel connected with the conspiracy?
The chapel was commissioned decades before the conspiracy. It reflects the family’s wealth, religious patronage and cultural ambitions rather than the events of 1478.
Why the Pazzi Story Matters
The history of the Pazzi family in Florence captures the contradictions of the Renaissance city unusually well.
Florence produced extraordinary architecture, art, literature and intellectual culture, but it was also a place of intense competition. Banking interests, papal politics, family alliances and republican institutions could become inseparable from personal ambition and political violence.
The events of 26 April 1478 demonstrate just how fragile this world could be. Within a few hours, a religious celebration became an assassination, an attempted coup collapsed inside the government palace and the streets of Florence filled with violent reprisals.
Yet the final irony belongs to the Pazzi themselves. The conspiracy intended to destroy Medici power but ultimately strengthened Lorenzo. And while the family’s name became synonymous with betrayal and political violence, one of its most enduring monuments is among the calmest and most harmonious architectural spaces in Florence.
That contrast is what makes the Pazzi story so compelling: the same Renaissance Florence that created extraordinary beauty could also produce extraordinary brutality.
Further Reading on Firenze Casa
- The Most Famous Florentine Families – Complete Guide
- The Medici Family – The Dynasty That Shaped Florence
- Lorenzo de’ Medici – The Magnificent Ruler of Renaissance Florence
- The Salviati Family – Politics and Medici Connections
- The Birth of Modern Banking in Florence
- Florence Cathedral – Complete Visitor’s Guide
- Palazzo Vecchio – Florence’s Historic Seat of Government
- Basilica of Santa Croce – Florence’s Monumental Church
References
- Treccani – Congiura dei Pazzi
- Treccani – Pazzi family
- Encyclopaedia Britannica – Pazzi Conspiracy
- Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore – historical documentation on Florence Cathedral
- Comune di Firenze / Museo di Palazzo Vecchio – historical documentation on Florentine government
- Meridiani – Firenze, No. 67, April 1998, “Una congiura memorabile”
- Najemy, John M. – A History of Florence 1200–1575
- Martines, Lauro – April Blood: Florence and the Plot Against the Medici
- Hibbert, Christopher – The House of Medici: Its Rise and Fall
- Brucker, Gene – Renaissance Florence
