One of the most colorful personalities in history is Lorenzo Medici, nicknamed the Magnificent. His role in world culture is as huge as the role of Newton in physics and mathematics. This man lived in the era of Quattrocento, the 1400s, during the heyday of Florence. The unique city-republic is known for ancient history and residents who thought outside the box, appreciated independence and freedom. In Florence, banking and art flourished, trade, crafts, great architects, poets, sculptors and artists worked here. It is “Blossoming” (as the name of this Italian city is translated from Latin) that became the birthplace of humanism - a movement that called man the main value.
At such a time, on January 1, 1449, Lorenzo de Medici was born. His life was active and full, contradictory and very stormy. Every day of the forty-three years of his life, he lived with meaning. He belonged to the famous dynasty of bankers, so the family was wealthy and influential. Four years after the death of Grandfather Cosimo Medici, the city's prior, his grandson, Medici Lorenzo, was elected to the honorable position. The young man earned such an honor with his intelligence and political talent, high education and love for the arts, a flexible mind and diplomacy. He was not handsome in appearance, but was distinguished by a special charm. And he excelled almost all his associates in generosity.
Lorenzo Medici brilliantly performed the task that the townspeople assigned to him: he provided Florence with peace, beauty and prosperity. Reasonably ruling the city, he contributed to its prosperity and popularization. On duty, the young man often visited the courtyards of the rulers of Milan, Naples, Venice, Bologna. On trips, he met people who decided the fate of the world. From them, he learned to severely suppress conspiracies against himself and even excommunicated the Pope in response to his own anathema. Lorenzo managed to avoid a war with Rome, making tremendous efforts.
But most of all, Lorenzo Medici became famous as a generous philanthropist who expanded the library founded by his grandfather, founded the university, patronized Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and collected objects of art. Who knows, we could enjoy the amazing masterpieces of the masters of the Renaissance, if not for this great man. They could not create even half of their masterpieces, taking care of their daily bread. Or maybe their work would be destroyed by ruthless time and people who do not understand anything in art. Also under the auspices of Lorenzo Medici there was the Academy of Caregi, whose members were Pico della Mirandola, Ficino, Poliziano.
Death tore the great Florentine from the environment of his loyal friends and people who sincerely loved him. In mourning was not only Florence, but the whole world of high art. He was mourned as the dearest person. After the death of the patron, Giorgio Vasari painted his portrait. How accurately the artist managed to convey the image of the hero, we will not know. But the main thing is that we, the descendants of the great Lorenzo, remember what he did for us.