Poliziano

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"No! If they get inside, they'll murder all our supporters and put their own devils in power!"

―Poliziano, after hearing that the Pazzi had taken over the Palazzo della Signoria.

Angelo Ambrogini (1454 - September 24 1494), commonly known by his nickname, Poliziano-- taken from the Latin name of his birthplace, Mons Politianus -- was an Italian Renaissance classical scholar and poet, one of the revivers of Humanist Latin.

History

Early Life

He was born in Montepulciano in 1454. His father was killed when he was 10 for adopting the cause of the Medici in Montepulciano. Poliziano moved to Florence and was aided in his education by the Medici as a sign of respect for the Ambrogini family. Afterwards, he lived in Florence as a beggar until he was 16, at which point he wrote a letter to Lorenzo de' Medici, in which he offered to translate the Iliad for Lorenzo's library. He was hired shortly thereafter.

Poliziano became a loyal servant of Lorenzo de' Medici, and one of his most trusted supporters.

Pazzi Conspiracy

When the Pazzi Conspiracy - a plot by the Pazzi aimed at killing Lorenzo and his brother and co-ruler Giuliano - happened on April 26 1478, Poliziano was at the Basilica di San Lorenzo, and he tended to a wounded Lorenzo after he was escorted there by Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a young noble who had also lost family to the Pazzi. Since Poliziano had to tend to Lorenzo, and take him back to the Palazzo Medici as soon as Lorenzo was able, and therefore neither of them could kill Francesco de' Pazzi for killing Giuliano and wounding Lorenzo, they instead sent Ezio. Poliziano told Ezio that Francesco was leading a battalion behind the Palazzo della Signoria - as he was seeking a way in to kill any Medici supporters in the government - and had to be stopped. Ezio successfully killed Francesco, and was recognized as a hero by the city, for saving the life of their beloved leader.

Later life and death

Lorenzo died on April 9 1492, and Poliziano outlived him, passing into the service of Lorenzo's son, Piero "The Unfortunate".

Poliziano himself died of arsenic poisoning on September 24, 1494, and after his death, Piero was exiled from the city by Girolamo Savonarola, the new self-declared ruler of the city. Savonarola's arrival marked the end of Florence's prosperous era as center of the Italian Renaissance, and the beginning of the Bonfire of the Vanities.

Database Entry

Date of Birth: 1454

Profession: Scholar, Poet

Somewhat of a prodigy, Poliziano learned Latin and Greek at age 10, and by 18 had already become a published author. Lorenzo de' Medici hired him to act as the tutor for his children and made sure he received a post at the Studio Florentino. Unfortunately, Poliziano must not have been everyone's favorite instructor. He died of arsenic poisoning in 1494, probably murdered by Piero de' Medici, his former student.