By the early 1400s, the Pazzi were among Florence’s leading families and were heavily involved in banking. Their wealth and status put them in direct competition with the Medici, whose banking network and political alliances dominated the city’s public life. This rivalry set the stage for later political conflict.
A fire in 1423 damaged parts of the Santa Croce complex in Florence. In the rebuilding that followed, the Pazzi family would later commission a new chapter house (a meeting space for the Franciscans) that also served as a family chapel. The project became a visible sign of Pazzi influence in the city.
Around 1429, Andrea de’ Pazzi backed the creation of what became known as the Pazzi Chapel at Santa Croce. The building’s purpose was both practical and symbolic: it served the Franciscan community while also reinforcing the Pazzi family’s public prestige. The commission shows how banking wealth was often translated into religious and civic patronage.
Construction on the Pazzi Chapel began in the 1440s under a design associated with Filippo Brunelleschi. Its clear geometric layout and restrained decoration helped define early Renaissance architectural style in Florence. The long building timeline also reflects how major projects depended on steady funding and political stability.
Between the late 1450s and 1460s, Jacopo de’ Pazzi commissioned a major residence now known as Palazzo Pazzi. In Renaissance Florence, such palaces were not just homes; they were centers of business, patronage, and political networking. The palace later became a target for confiscation after the failed coup.
After Andrea de’ Pazzi’s death, Jacopo de’ Pazzi became head of the family and oversaw its interests, including banking. During this period, the Pazzi remained prominent enough to challenge Medici power in both commerce and politics. This leadership transition mattered because it placed decision-making in the hands of a figure later tied directly to the conspiracy.
Work on the Pazzi Chapel continued for decades, with key elements completed over time, but the exterior remained unfinished. The project’s interruption later became closely linked to the family’s political fall in 1478. The building therefore serves as a physical reminder of both the Pazzi’s ambitions and their sudden loss of power.
On April 26, 1478 (Easter Sunday), conspirators attacked Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici during High Mass at Florence’s cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore). Giuliano was killed, while Lorenzo escaped with injuries, turning what was meant to be a decisive political strike into a failed coup. The choice of a public religious setting increased both the shock and the political stakes.
Immediately after the failed assassination, Florentine authorities and pro-Medici crowds moved against the conspirators. Archbishop Francesco Salviati and others were captured and hanged, and many alleged participants were pursued and executed in the following days. The swift violence showed the Medici’s strong popular support and the city’s fear of political instability.
After the conspiracy failed, the Pazzi were punished as traitors: members of the family were banished and property was confiscated. Florentine officials also tried to erase the family’s public identity by suppressing the name and coat of arms. These measures mattered economically because they dismantled the family’s ability to operate openly as bankers and political patrons.
The failed plot helped trigger a wider conflict known as the War of the Pazzi (1478–1480). Florence faced a dangerous confrontation with the papacy and its allies, turning an internal political struggle into a regional war. The conflict also reinforced Lorenzo de’ Medici’s political position at home, since many Florentines rallied behind him during the crisis.
One major participant, Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli, fled Florence after the attack but was later found in Constantinople and returned to Florence. He was executed by hanging in late 1479, extending the crackdown beyond the initial wave of punishments. The episode shows how the Medici government pursued accountability even across borders to deter future plots.
By 1480, the War of the Pazzi had run its course, after placing Florence under intense military and diplomatic pressure. Despite the danger and cost, the aftermath strengthened Lorenzo de’ Medici’s authority inside Florence by removing rivals and demonstrating public backing. In practical terms, the Pazzi’s political and banking influence in Florence did not recover in the same form after 1478–1480.
Pazzi Bank and the Pazzi Conspiracy (c. 1400–1478)