Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Magnifico
The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de' Medici

by Miles J. Unger



      A "larger than life" personality, Lorenzo de' Medici made his mark early and, through brilliant statesmanship, maintained control of his native city, Florence, for over two decades.

In Magnifico art historian Miles Unger gives the reader a sweeping chronicle of the rise and fall of the Medici dynasty. The family rose to power under Lorenzo's grandfather, Cosimo. At the age of twenty, Lorenzo assumed virtual leadership of the republic following the early death of his father, Piero.

While he continued the family's zeal for beautifying the city and supporting artists and intellectuals, Lorenzo had to deal with the political intrigue and intermittent violence his rule created.

The most serious of these threats was the Pazzi conspiracy, which Unger fully details. In a plot backed by the Church, the Medici brothers were attacked while at Mass one day. Giuliano was killed but Lorenzo was only wounded. The assassination attempt sparked a war between Naples and Florence that eventually was brought to an end by Lorenzo's brilliant political maneuvering.

Famed for cultivating some of the greatest writers, painters and sculptors of the age, including Leonardo, Botticelli and Verrocchio, Lorenzo is perhaps best know for his greatest "discovery," the teenaged Michelangelo, for whom he provided patronage.

How valid was Lorenzo de' Medici's claim as the greatest statesman of the Renaissance? Consider this. Only a few years after his death, a disunited and leaderless Italy was invaded by France and Spain, and the peninsula became a perpetual battlefield.  The delicate political balance that Lorenzo had worked so hard to maintain had collapsed and with it the entire country went into a major decline.

Miles Unger's portrait of Lorenzo de'Medici and his time period is not only well researched but also makes this individual who personifies the concept of "the Renaissance man" accessible to all readers. The author's flowing narrative makes this tome so easy to digest, you'll be surprised how quickly you devoured the over 400 pages of text.

The Book

Simon & Schuster
May 6, 2008
Hardcover
9780743254342
Biography / History - Italian Renaissance
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
NOTE:

The Reviewer

Bob Walch
Reviewed 2008
NOTE:
© 2008 MyShelf.com