it must be stated here that periodical revolts against the power and prestige of the Medici often occurred, and none was more desperate than that of the Pazzi family in 1478, acting with the support of the Pope behind all and with the co-operation of Girolamo Riario, nephew of the Pope, and Salviati, Archbishop of Pisa.  The Pazzi, who were not only opposed to the temporal power of the Medici, but were their rivals in business—­both families being bankers—­wished to rid Florence of Lorenzo and Giuliano in order to be greater both civically and financially.  Girolamo wished the removal of Lorenzo and Giuliano in order that hostility to his plans for adding Forli and Faenza to the territory of Imola, which the Pope had successfully won for him against Lorenzo’s opposition, might disappear.  The Pope had various political reasons for wishing Lorenzo’s and Giuliano’s death and bringing Florence, always headstrong and dangerous, to heel.  While as for Salviati, it was sufficient that he was Archbishop of Pisa, Florence’s ancient rival and foe; but he was a thoroughly bad lot anyway.  Assassination also was in the air, for Galeazzo Maria Sforza of Milan had been stabbed in church in 1476, thus to some extent paving the way for this murder, since Lorenzo and Sforza, when acting together, had been practically unassailable.

In 1478 Lorenzo was twenty-nine, Giuliano twenty-five.  Lorenzo had been at the head of Florentine affairs for nine years and he was steadily growing in strength and popularity.  Hence it was now or never.

The conspirators’ first idea was to kill the brothers at a banquet which Lorenzo was to give to the great-nephew of the Pope, the youthful Cardinal Raffaello Riario, who promised to be an amenable catspaw.  Giuliano, however, having hurt his leg, was not well enough to be present, but as he would attend High Mass, the conspirators decided to act then.  That is to say, it was then, in the cathedral, that the death of the Medici brothers was to be effected; meanwhile another detachment of conspirators under Salviati was to rise simultaneously to capture the Signoria, while the armed men of the party who were outside and inside the walls would begin their attacks on the populace.  Thus, at the same moment Medici and city would fall.  Such was the plan.

The actual assassins were Francesco de’ Pazzi and Bernardo Bandini, who were nominally friends of the Medici (Francesco’s brother Guglielmo having married Bianca de’ Medici, Lorenzo’s sister), and two priests named Maffeo da Volterra and Stefano da Bagnone.  A professional bravo named Montesecco was to have killed Lorenzo, but refused on learning that the scene of the murder was to be a church.  At that, he said, he drew the line:  murder anywhere else he could perform cheerfully, but in a sacred building it was too much to ask.  He therefore did nothing, but, subsequently confessing, made the guilt of all his associates doubly certain.