Pazzi Conspiracy Strikes: Assassination in Florence's Cathedral
Blood soaked the marble altar as knives struck during High Mass in the Duomo. Lorenzo de' Medici survived by diving into the sacristy, but his brother Giuliano was hacked to death right there. The Pazzi family hoped this brutality would shatter Medici rule overnight. Instead, it sparked a bloody purge where hundreds of their allies were dragged from churches and executed. People still talk about that Sunday morning when the city turned on itself. That day didn't break the Medici; it cemented their power forever.
April 26, 1478
548 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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