Poliziano

"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-- was an Italian Renaissance classical scholar and poet, and one of the revivers of Humanist Latin.

History

Early Life

Poliziano was born in Montepulciano in 1454. His father was killed when he was 10 for adopting the cause of the Medici family in Montepulciano. Afterward, Poliziano moved to Florence and was aided in his education by the Medici as a sign of respect for the Ambrogini family. He then 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. Poliziano was hired by Lorenzo shortly afterwards, and became one of Lorenzo's most trustworthy supporters and loyalists.

Pazzi Conspiracy

During the Pazzi Conspiracy - a plot by the Pazzi family to murder Lorenzo and his brother and co-ruler Giuliano - on April, 26 1478, Poliziano stayed at the Basilica di San Lorenzo, where he tended to a wounded Lorenzo. Lorenzo had been escorted there by Ezio Auditore da Firenze, a young Florentine noble who had also lost family to the Pazzi. While Poliziano tended to Lorenzo's wounds, Lorenzo sent Ezio to the Palazzo della Signoria to assassinate Francesco de' Pazzi and his supporters. Ezio made his way up the Palazzo, and eventually killed a fleeing Francesco on the rooftops, and was recognized as a hero by the city.

Later life and death

Lorenzo died on April 9, 1492, but Poliziano outlived him, passing into the service of Lorenzo's son, Piero. However, Poliziano himself died of arsenic poisoning on September 24, 1494, most likely from Piero himself. After his death, Piero was exiled from the city by Girolamo Savonarola, the new self-declared ruler of Florence. Savonarola's arrival marked the end of Florence's prosperous era, 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.