1444, Byzantium Resurrects

Chapter 343 Pazzi's Conspiracy

The summer in Florence is very peaceful, the sun shines on the earth, and large areas of flowers bloom.

As the temperature rose and precipitation decreased, the Arno River entered a short dry season. During this time, the number of merchant ships engaged in river transportation gradually decreased, and Florence's goods began to be transported by land to coastal ports, mostly to Pisa and Livorno.

Of course, there are many rivers in the Apennine Peninsula, and many important seaports are located at the estuaries of the rivers. These rivers carry a large amount of silt to the sea every year to create land. Many important seaports in the past have been transformed into inland cities under the erosion of time, getting farther and farther away from the ocean, including the famous Pisa and Ravenna. Strictly speaking, they can no longer be called coastal cities.

In any case, today Pisa has become an autonomous region of the Republic of Florence. The city of Pisa basically uses the laws and policies of the Republic of Florence, but it also retains some of the original characteristics of the city-state.

In the long political struggle, the Florentine Republic has broken away from the control of the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor and become an independent autonomous republic. The emperor in Vienna has no influence on the political situation in Florence, but the Pope in Rome has been trying to regain the right of investiture that is at his fingertips. The disputes on the religious and secular levels have never stopped.

After Sixtus IV of the Rovere family came to power, the Roman See began to reach out to neighboring countries. This autocratic and selfish Pope regarded the Medici family as his enemy, hiding behind the scenes and observing secretly.

In the first half of 1474, Sixtus IV successfully recovered the Ravenna region occupied by the Venetian Republic with the help of the Eastern Roman Empire. He was very proud of himself for a while. After obtaining another loan from the Palaiologos family, Sixtus IV continued to extend his black hand to the Medici family in Florence, trying to take advantage of the victory and regain the right to appoint the archbishops of Florence.

Sixtus IV did not set the Archbishop of Florence as his first target, but chose the Archbishop of Pisa, which was vacant at the time, and appointed Francesco from the Salviati family as the Archbishop of Pisa, giving this "fat job" to a "loyal minister" who managed his banking business.

This move immediately aroused the dissatisfaction of the Medici family. As the most important territory of Florence, Pisa was in charge of Florence's maritime trade. Its importance was self-evident. The Medici family naturally rejected the appointment of the Roman See, believing that it should be elected independently by the diocese rather than directly sent by the Pope.

The Medici family's move to ban Salviati from going to Pisa was supported by small merchants and ordinary people who also wanted independence and were not very fond of the Pope.

Sixtus IV did not respond directly to the Medici family's open provocation, nor did he question the Medici family's ban on Salviati. Instead, he chose to remain silent.

In his view, the Medici family, which had the support of the people, was too powerful in Florence. The citizens only knew the standard-bearer of justice but not the Pope. It would be impossible to make the Medici family voluntarily give up political power by using the old methods. He had to think out of the box and take risky moves.

At the same time, the Pazzi family, also a wealthy family in Florence, became increasingly close to the Vatican because of their business in the banking and textile industries. Diplomats from the Eastern Roman Empire also approached the Pazzi family because of the Medici family's insubordination, trying to make a breakthrough in the solid Florence.

The Medici family was indeed able to unite the vast majority of interest groups in Florence under its own banner and turn Florence into an iron plate, which was seriously inconsistent with the diplomatic and trade interests of the Eastern Roman Empire in the Mediterranean.

In that case, let them die.

As a result, several forces that were very dissatisfied with the Medici family gathered together and began to plan a shocking conspiracy.

On a high-rise building in Florence, an old man in luxurious clothes sat quietly by the window. His hawk-like eyes casually swept over the folders and red wine glasses on the table, but his sharp gaze was always looking towards the church outside the window.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, also known as the Basilica of Our Lady of the Flower, is the iconic building of Florence and the cathedral of the Diocese of Florence. It is mainly made of white, pink and green marble. It is huge in scale, beautiful and elegant, perfectly blending Christian culture with Florentine characteristics. It is one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of human architectural art and one of the top cathedrals in the world today.

The construction of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore began in the late 13th century and was basically completed a few years ago. It has witnessed the history of the Florentine Republic from hard struggle to glory for more than a hundred years. The original intention of its construction was to commemorate the decline of the feudal aristocracy and the rise of the bourgeois citizens. It symbolizes Florence’s revolutionary spirit of love for the republic and the national sentiment of unity.

Someone knocked on the ornately carved door and a middle-aged man walked in. He was also wearing an expensive coat with a blue background and a cross with two fishes carefully embroidered on it.

The Pazzi family, another banking oligarch family in Florence, was the arch-enemy of the Medici family.

"Uncle, I'm here."

The middle-aged man lowered his head and saluted his uncle respectfully.

"Those people are still in the mountains. I sent Vieri to contact them."

"There are only a few days left, and it's time for them to go into the city."

"Well, I'm old, you can handle these things by yourself."

The old man had a calm expression.

"This matter concerns the rise and fall of the Pazzi family. If it succeeds, it will have a promising future. If it fails, it will be completely destroyed."

"I understand, Uncle Jacob."

Francesco nodded.

Both uncle and nephew were important members of the Pazzi family, Jacopo was the head of the family and Francesco was his right-hand man.

The Pazzi family was mainly engaged in the banking industry. They once relied on the Pazzi Bank to earn a lot of wealth in various parts of Italy and became the most wealthy family in Florence. However, with the rise of the Medici family, many of the Pazzi family's banking affairs gradually declined. Jacopo and Francesco both witnessed this series of changes with their own eyes and hated the Medici family.

Of course, although the two are the biggest rivals, they are not evenly matched. Whether in terms of political influence, overall family wealth or public opinion, the Pazzi family is far inferior to the Medici family. The latter is like a dark cloud, firmly hanging over their heads.

The Medici family's failed investment in the Venetian War allowed the Pazzi family to make a small fortune and swallow up a Medici branch, but Lorenzo's handling of the national debt was impeccable and the people still sided with the Medici. Instead, the Pazzi family's excessive fraud and exploitation of the poor during the war gave the Medici family an excuse to sue them.

"By the way, I heard from Vieri that you have met with Minister Fraser. How much money did the Greeks give us?"

Jacob looked at his nephew.

"What are their conditions?"

"Money is not the main thing. They helped us contact a lot of mercenaries, all of whom have registered with the Mercenary House in Carthage."

"Last year, we also used a group of mercenaries from the Mercenary House. The quality was pretty good, so there shouldn't be any problems this time either."

Francesco said.

"As for the conditions... they haven't mentioned them yet, but they're probably going to be things like a ceasefire and peace talks, driving out the French and Aragonese fleets, and stopping sheltering Latin pirates."

"mercenary?"

Jacob frowned.

"We don't need these."

Francesco looked at his uncle and explained.

"Minister Fraser believes that even if your plan succeeds, it will not be easy for us to control all power. Necessary conflicts and struggles are inevitable."

"I think he has a point. You know that the untouchables hate us and like the Medici family."

There was a flash of hatred in Francesco's eyes.

"The Greeks also provided some new weapons, including matchlocks, wheellocks, and refined crossbows. I feel like these are good and may be useful."

Jacob was silent for a moment and shook his head.

"The Greeks have made no offers?"

"Really not, uncle. Minister Fraser said that if we don't succeed, it's meaningless to negotiate now. If we succeed, there will be more places where we need them, and it won't be too late to negotiate then."

Francesco said.

After hearing this, Jacob still sighed a little worriedly.

"Don't get too close to the Greeks. They are not good people. They only think about their own interests."

“Always remember that free things are the most expensive.”

"I'll remember that, uncle."

Francesco nodded.

"In addition to the Greeks, I have informed Archbishop Salviati and His Majesty Sistus of the plan. They have no objections and have promised to provide support."

"The personnel, equipment, and numbers are all ready, just waiting for your final order."

Jacob looked out the window at the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore again, and the gloominess on his mottled old face became even more intense.

"Go, for old and great Patsy!"

……

The sun shines on the fertile earth, and the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is bathed in the morning sun, hazy and dreamy.

Today is Sunday, June 1474, 6, Pentecost in the Christian world, one of the most important festivals in the Christian world.

According to the New Testament of the Bible, Jesus Christ ascended to heaven on the fortieth day after his resurrection and sent the Holy Spirit to descend on the fiftieth day. The apostles received the Holy Spirit on this day and began to preach, marking the beginning of the Church Age.

As a large Catholic city, Florence naturally organized a festival mass. A grand celebration was held in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. Tens of thousands of people attended the mass under the leadership of government officials. The scene was grand and spectacular.

Pentecost was an important festival and of course the Medici family, as heads of government and de facto dictators, would attend.

The mass had not yet begun, and the churchgoers were gathered in twos and threes, talking in low voices. In the central chapel, Lorenzo de' Medici sat silently in his seat, his thoughts somewhat confused.

The complete collapse of the Republic of Venice hit Lorenzo hard. Not only did Florence lose its most friendly ally on the Italian peninsula, but it was also basically impossible to recover the loans it had lent. The newly born Republic of St. Mark had to repay the war reparations from the three major powers for fifty years, not to mention Florence's "previous dynasty's loans."

In addition to the strength and tyranny of the Eastern Roman Empire, the aggressiveness of the Vatican also brought him great pressure. In his opinion, Sixtus IV of the Rovere family was a real poisonous snake, who was forbearing now just to suddenly rise up in the future.

The church bells rang slowly, the priests put on red mass vestments, and more and more dignitaries arrived at the chapel and chose their seats.

The Catholic vestment system is relatively complete. The priests' mass vestments are divided into five colors: red, white, green, purple and black. They are used in different occasions, representing different meanings and symbolizing different spirits.

The vestments of Pentecost are bright red, also known as blood red, which symbolizes martyrdom and is generally associated with the suffering of Jesus Christ.

For some reason, the more Lorenzo looked at the bloody vestments of the priests, the more he felt uncomfortable, and he felt a vague sense of inexplicable uneasiness.

A familiar voice came from behind. Lorenzo turned around and saw that it was his younger brother, Giuliano. At this time, Giuliano was walking between the two men. His face was still very pale, but his expression was relatively relaxed. He talked to the two people around him from time to time.

Lorenzo knew two men around Giuliano, one was Salviati and the other was Francesco Pazzi, both were enemies of the Medici family.

Lorenzo frowned, winked at Giuliano, and called him to his side.

"Why are you here again?"

Lorenzo asked in a low voice.

"Didn't you say you were not feeling well last night? Are you feeling better now?"

"Maybe it's better now. I really didn't plan to come here at first."

Giuliano said.

"Francesco and the other two came to my house and invited me to attend the Mass, saying that the Mass would be incomplete without me and that God would heal my illness."

"Do you believe what he says?"

Lorenzo was incredulous.

"His last name is Patsy!"

"I know, brother, but Francesco was very nice today. He said that continuing to fight would only hurt both sides. He hopes to mend the relationship between our two families through marriage."

Giuliano said seriously.

"Didn't you always say that we should unite all the forces in Florence as much as possible? If we can live in peace, there is no need for us to spend time and energy on internal friction with the Pazzi family."

"If this is true, we can indeed talk about it later."

Lorenzo nodded doubtfully and thought for a moment.

"but--"

The bells rang again, the crowds filled the chapel, the Archbishop of Florence announced the start of mass, and Lorenzo had to give up.

Giuliano winked at his brother and walked away, heading for his seat.

Accompanied by the chanting of Sanskrit and prayers, the Mass officially began. Everyone in the chapel half raised their heads, crossed their hands, closed their eyes, and faced the holy image.

Lorenzo looked in the direction of Giuliano and saw that he had his eyes closed, and there was nothing unusual, so he also turned towards the statue and closed his eyes.

The seats in the chapel were arranged in a semicircular terrace, divided into two rows on the left and right by an aisle in the middle. Lorenzo and Giuliano both sat in the most conspicuous positions so that more people could see them.

Behind the crowd, Francesco Pazzi opened his eyes with a cold look. He looked at the people around him, nodded, and each of them took out a gleaming dagger from his sleeve and slowly reached towards Giuliano's back.

"No!"

Several screams were heard. The distance was too close. Several people sitting opposite saw the daggers in the assassins' hands and discovered their actions.

The scream disturbed the silence of the chapel. Giuliano came to his senses and turned his head, only to see a figure in black and a dagger getting closer and closer.

puff-

The sound of the blade piercing clothes and flesh rang in Giuliano's ears, followed by a wave of pain.

Giuliano looked at Francesco behind him in astonishment. He opened his mouth, but only spat out large mouthfuls of blood foam, staining half of his handsome cheek red.

The rivalry between the Pazzi and the Medici was well known, but these Italian greats still followed a set of unspoken rules that everyone agreed to, setting the boundaries for hostile behavior.

However, the assassination in public undoubtedly completely trampled on this unspoken rule, not only targeting the entire public, but also in a chapel where mass was being held.

"This is a chapel—"

Giuliano uttered the last few words with difficulty.

"You guys are really a bunch of lunatics..."

Francesco didn't care about that. He swung the knife handle with a ferocious look on his face and stabbed Giuliano's body again and again.

Screams suddenly spread throughout the chapel. Nobles, wealthy businessmen, and ladies fled. More and more assassins began to appear, bypassing the lifeless Giuliano and rushing towards Lorenzo.

"Patsy!"

In the gap between the running crowd, Lorenzo saw his brother covered in blood, motionless, shouting loudly, sad and desperate.

"Are you planning to commit treason?!"

"Well, whether it is treason or not is not your decision, Lorenzo!"

Francesco laughed wildly and commanded the assassins to rush towards Lorenzo.

"Failure is treason, success is revolution!"

"Lorenzo, your good days are over!"

The crowd was surging, and there was no flat ground between Lorenzo and the assassins. The assassins tried hard to push through the crowd and ran towards Lorenzo. Lorenzo didn't care about being sad and squeezed hard into the crowd.

"Lorenzo!"

The assassins caught up with him, and one of them thrust a dagger into Lorenzo's waist.

Lorenzo screamed but did not stop running away, dodging the assassins' blades.

The crowded crowd created a lot of trouble for the assassins' subsequent assassinations. Lorenzo was stabbed many times in the crowd, but no vital injuries were caused. Instead, he went deep into the crowd.

"Lorenzo! Here!"

A voice sounded in front of him. Lorenzo looked closely and saw that it was his good friend, the famous writer and poet, Poliziano.

"Here! Let's go to the vestry!"

Poliziano said.

"Follow this flow of people out! You will be safe soon!"

"Hurry! Let's—"

A stream of warm liquid splashed on Lorenzo's face. When he looked up, he saw a dagger stuck in Poliziano's neck.

The physical pain and the despair in his heart made Lorenzo kneel on the spot, staring at the man in black in front of him and laughing miserably.

The opponent was obviously skilled and blocked all of Lorenzo's routes, which was completely different from novices like Francesco and Salviati.

Those who can attend mass in this chapel are either rich or noble. No matter what identity the man in black uses, the power behind him cannot be underestimated.

"You're not one of Patsy's gang."

"Who sent you?"

The man in black ignored him, knelt on one knee, put the dagger to Lorenzo's neck, and whispered in Greek.

"The Emperor sends his regards."

A sword seals the throat.

After causing even greater panic and screams, the man in black did not stop, put on a cloak, blended into the crowd, and slipped out of the chapel.

……

On June 1474, 6, the Apennine Peninsula was in turmoil again. With the support of the Roman Church and the Eastern Roman Empire, the Pazzi family openly assassinated the Medici brothers in the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, and killed them in public. Giuliano Medici was stabbed 7 times, and Lorenzo Medici died of a fatal wound in the neck.

After getting rid of the Medici brothers, the Pazzi family took advantage of the situation of being leaderless and quickly sent troops to occupy the residence of the Standard-Bearer of Justice and besieged the Medici Palace. Jacopo Pazzi accused the Medici family of violating the "Law of Justice" and being out-and-out dictators who should be sentenced to death. The Pazzi family would form a democratic government and invite the major oligarchs to govern together.

However, the bold and crazy Pazzi conspiracy did not fully succeed. The tragic deaths of the Medici brothers aroused great anger among the citizens of Florence. The citizens spontaneously organized themselves, took to the streets, held armed protests, and gathered at the gate of the Medici Palace to prevent government soldiers from disturbing the orphans and widows of the Medici family, and to protect the orphans of the Medici family from escaping from the city.

After several consecutive suppressions, the citizen riots intensified, and bloody street fighting continued to take place in the streets. The Pazzi family began to panic and quickly asked for support from the Vatican and the Eastern Roman Empire.

The Pazzi knew that the citizens hated them and missed the Medici family, but they never expected that the citizens' hostility would be so great and their actions would be so violent.

On June 6, the Vatican's army entered the city from the east gate, and more Eastern Roman mercenaries entered the city from the west gate. The Vatican's army fought under the banner of religious supremacy, while the emperor's army fought under the banner of opposing dictatorship, respecting the constitution, and freedom and democracy. They did not care about the thoughts and lives of the Florentines and began to violently suppress the citizens.

After Venice, another Italian capital city-state was on the verge of destruction. The Medici Golden Age in Florence came to an abrupt end on this day, and the long-peaceful Apennines entered another period of disaster.

(End of this chapter)