Lorenzo de MediciRuler of Florence and Art Patron1449 - 1492Whoever wants to be happy, let him be so:about tomorrow there's no knowing.--Lorenzo The MagnificentLorenzo de Medici was born on January 1, 1449 in Florence, Italy. "Lorenzo The Magnificent," as he was called by the people of Florence, was a statesman, ruler, and patron of the arts. "The Magnificent" was a common title of respect in Italy at the time, but it was Lorenzo who raised it to special status.Lorenzo ruled Florence with his younger brother, Giuliano, from 1469 to 1478. After his brother's assassination in 1478, he was sole ruler until his death. Perhaps Lorenzo's greatest contribution to history was his patronage of the arts.Lorenzo made history because of ...view middle of the document...
The friar soon accused his benefactor of ruining the state and squandering the wealth of the people. These accusations began to undermine Lorenzo's support among the people of Florence.Two years after Lorenzo's death his eldest son Piero, called the "unfortunate", was exiled from Florence for his political "incapacity" and only after 18 years the Medici family could return to its home-town.Quick Facts:Lorenzo died peacefully during the night of April 8 and 9, 1492 in the Villa of Careggi.Lorenzo was a great ruler of Florence and art patron from 1449 until his death in 1492.Lorenzo the Magnificent once said:"Whoever wants to be happy, let him be so: about tomorrow there's no knowing".Why was he important in Renaissance times?Lorenzo was important because he finished what his family before him started.The de Medici family started banking in Florence and were elected to rule Florence because of their wealth and power.Lorenzo was the first real ruler with power and respect. The people of Florence respected him because he wasn't power hungry but down to earth.I think another reason he was important was because he supported works that, without his help, would never has existed.When and why was he so famous?Under Lorenzo's leadership, Florence became one of the most beautiful and prosperous cities in Italy, as well as a center of the Renaissance.He was best known of the Medicis.Lorenzo was not only a shrewd banker and clever politician; he was also a scholar and a poet.His knowledge was obvious, and even without his family name, I think he still would have been famous.Even though Lorenzo was so magnificent, there is very little information about his life.