ABSTRACT
The role of Piero, who succeeded Cosimo, is best seen as an intermission between the more spectacular activities of his father and his son, Lorenzo. The Medici were marking time. Piero’s foreign policy was also beset with troubles. Cosimo’s main ally, Francesco Sforza, died in 1466, and the linchpin of the network of alliances was removed. But in this field Piero was more successful. The remainder of Piero’s brief rule was peaceful and a time of many festivities, including the first of the celebrated jousts. Lorenzo always enjoyed the company of women — except his poor wife, Clarice — but his love affairs were no more outrageous than the times allowed. The Medici spring was over. Simonetta’s death was followed a few months later by the murder of Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan: the delicate balance of power among the Italian city States was upset, and Lorenzo was soon attacked at home and abroad.
