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[[File:Medici_the_Magnificent.jpg|thumbnail|300px|left|Figure 1. The Medici Season 2 Poster.]]__NOTOC__The <i>Medici</i> has recently been released has moved forward in time and it cover picks up five years after the period death of Cosmo de Medici, played by Richard Madden in the season 1. Season 2 focuses on Lorenzo the Magnificant (Lorenzo de' Medici), who was one of the most influential Medici family members who . He ruled or and influenced Florence and at the birth of the Renaissance. The period this season covers is between covered is around 1469-1477, 1478. This season climaxes with the series culminating in the Pazzi conspiracy on Easter Sunday , April 26, 1478, that sought to depose the Medicis from power. ==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>
Giuliano de' Medici: Guiliano is the brother of Lorenzo. He is shown as a skilled fighter, handsome, and a someone who always showed interest in women, refusing to settle down and instead bedding different women, including Simonetta Vespucci, a renowned beauty who was the wife of a prominent noble in Florence. In fact, he appears to fall in love with Simonetta, although she is married and this begins to one of create problems for the members Medici after Simonetta's husband learned of the Signoriaaffair and jails his own wife. His youthful love of life and handsome appearance influences Botticelli to pain paint him as his Mars character, but that is not certain. Giuliano did father an illegitimate child that , with another woman, who later became pope (Pope Clement VII), but for some reason, this was not even brought up by the series despite the historical significance of this. Clement VII was the pope who presided over the fragmentation of Christianity during the Protestant Reformation. Giuliano was killed in the Pazzi conspiracy and that was depicted by the series.<ref>For more on Giuliano, see: Jungić, J., & Leader, A. (2018). <i>Giuliano de’ Medici: Machiavelli’s prince in life and art</i>. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. </ref>
Clarice Orsini: Clarice was shown as a nun in training at the beginning of the series who is then arranged by Lorenzo's mother, Lucrezia, to marry Lorenzo. While reluctant, and shown as somewhat naiveand pious individual, she complies with this marriageas she sees it as God's chosen path for her. At first, she is not happy, as Lorenzo continues to have a relationship with a nobleman's wife after his marriage. Eventually, she has Lorenzo stop this affair and she begins to become more influential in Lorenzo's life. The couple eventually grow more fond of each other and they both help each other as they plan the family's affairs.<ref>For more on Clarice, see: Pernis, M. G., & Adams, L. (2006). <i>Lucrezia Tornabuoni de’ Medici and the Medici family in the fifteenth century</i>. New York: Peter Lang. </ref>
Sandro Botticelli: The series depicts Botticelli as a well -regarded painter patronized by the Medici. The series depicts the painter as being inspired by Simonetta Vespucci, who inspired <i>Venus and Mars</i> and later <i>Primavera</i>, with his later <i>Birth of Venus</i> painting alluded toas also inspired by her. The actual history of these paintings is not certain, as <i>Venus and Mars</i> may have been painted much laterthan what was shown in the series. Nevertheless, Simonetta is a possible muse inspiring Botticelli's depiction of her as Venus, but that is also disputed by historians. Giuliano is purported to be the one inspiring Mars, but he had died long after this, although the series showing him posing, along with Simonetta, for the painting. None of this is historically clear, but some historians do accept the two as inspiring the well-known painting.<ref>For more on Botticelli, see: Lightbown, R. W. (1989). <i>Sandro Botticelli: life and work (2nd ed)</i>. New York: Abbeville Press.</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 interestand 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 conspiratorson 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.