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[[File:Image002 0 0.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|Figure 1. The Medici Season 2 series and key characters shown.]]The <i>Medici</i> has recently been released and it cover covers the period of Lorenzo the Magnificant (Lorenzo de' Medici), one of the most influential Medici family members who ruled or influenced Florence and the birth of the Renaissance. The period covered is around 1469-1477, with the series culminating in the Pazzi conspiracy on Easter Sunday , April 26, 1478. ==The Key Characters== [[File:Image002 0 0.jpg|thumb|Figure 1. The Medici Season 2 series and key characters shown.]]
====The Key Characters====
Lorenzo the Magnificant: Lorenzo is depicted as a smart and wise leader of the Medici family. His father, Piero di Cosimo de' Medici dies at the beginning of the series, in 1469. His father was shown as somewhat a weak character who could not always deal well with all the intrigues of the Signoria, which was the seat of government and ruling body in Florence. The Medici bank is also in a weak position and on the brink of bankruptcy. Lorenzo is energetic, ambitious for his family, and displayed traits like his grandfather Cosimo Medici by supporting the arts, with the series concentrating on his patronage of Sandro Botticelli. He is shown as having Florence's best interest in mind, although in reality he often did promote his family above all else. He could also be ruthless, although he is shown as preferring to work with his rivals and give them a chance.<ref>For more on Lorenzo and his life, see: Horsburgh, E. L. S. (2017). <i>Lorenzo the Magnificent and Florence in Her Golden Age</i>. Forgotten Books.</ref>
Francesco de' Pazzi: Francesco is one of the main characters of the Pazzi family, who are rivals to the Medicis and resent their control and power over Florence. Francesco initially befriends Lorenzo, as he believes his uncle Jacopo de' Pazzi did not have Florence's best interest and too obsessed against the Medici. However, over time he becomes disenchanted with the Medicis as he sees them as power hungry. He is married briefly before he sends his wife away, but this may have never happened. Francesco eventually reunites with his uncle Jacopo and they together launch the Pazzi conspiracy on Easter Sunday in 1478. Francesco succeeds in killing Guiliano but the conspiracy fails and he is executed along with the other conspirators on the walls of the Signoria. The depiction of the brief friendship between Francesco and Lorenzo is likely inaccurate. He was also dragged from his house and killed, while in the series he was shown as being captured after the conspiracy was launched in the well-known Duomo of Florence.<ref>For more on Francesco, see: Martines, L. (2004). <i>April blood: Florence and the plot against the Medici</i>. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, pg. 97. </ref>
Jacopo de' Pazzi: Jacopo is depicted as the real head of the Pazzi family and obsessed with overthrowing the Medici family. He was shown as finding new ways to obtain power for himself and the Pazzi. While there might be some truth to this, he was also, historically, known to have patronized the arts and commissioned works such as the Palazzo Pazzi in Florence. His conspiracy launched with Francesco fails ultimately, after many other less violent attempts to topple the Medici. Jacopo is depicted as a cunning and scheming man, although in reality the problem with the Medici probably dealt with the fact that both families were power hungry.<ref>For more on Jacopo, see: Strathern, P. (2003). <i>The Medici: godfathers Godfathers of the Renaissance</i>. London: Jonathan Cape, pg. 163. </ref>
====Key Plot====[[File:Leonardo da Vinci - Hanging of Bernardo Baroncelli 1479.jpg|thumb|left|Figure 2. Leonardo's drawing showing one of the conspirators hung.]]The primary focus for this season is Lorenzo beginning efforts to try to unite some of the main city-states of Italy, in particular, Milan and eventually Venice. He believes that if the city-states band together they can form a stronger alliance for these cities and help their businesses, including the Medici bank that is struggling and overextended. In addition, the Medici lost their papal account and their bank is threatened with insolvency as the Pazzi conspire with the Pope (Pope Paul II and later Pope Sixtus IV) to stop the Medici. The Medici try to forge an alliance with Francesco Pazzi, as they see a split within the Pazzi family. This initially works but then begins to fail as Francesco begins to question the motives of Lorenzo. The alliance with Milan is also broken up with the murder of Duke Sforza of Milan, which was a conspiracy launched by the Pazzi. The Pope is also used to threaten families from forming alliances with the Medici.
====Assessment====The key events are accurate, in that the Pazzis did ultimately try to topple Lorenzo. The Medici's are shown as more benevolent, but this is not accurate as politics in 15th century Florence was likely ruthless with conspiracies launched by various sides. Such politics even may have later inspired Machiavelli to write his well know work <i> The Prince </i>. The events and people that influenced Botticelli, including two of his well-known paintings, may not have happened as shown, as the timelines do not match since his famous works were finished probably almost a decade later.
====Summary====Season 2 of the Medici is a fascinating and complex series that is highly entertaining. It has some historical relevance in that many key events and characters are true. However, it takes the liberty to mixup timelines and condenses some of the events, such as the death of Lorenzo's father and the events leading up to the Pazzi conspiracy. Surprisingly, Guiliano's son is never depicted, despite the fact he becomes an important historical figure himself.
