Which Medici was known as "the Unfortunate" and why?

skysmom65

Piero de' Medici (the Unfortunate) (February 15, 1471 – December 28, 1503), the untalented, arrogant and undisciplined oldest son of Lorenzo de' Medici (the Magnificent), and brother of Pope Leo X. Shortly after he took over as leader of Florence in 1492, Charles VIII of France entered Italy in 1494 with a large army, in part on his way to Naples to assert his claim to the throne there, but also to support Lodovico Sforza, il Moro, ex-Regent of Milan, who wished to eject his nephew Gian Galeazzo and replace him as Duke, and had lured Charles to Italy to help him in this endeavour. After settling matters in Milan, Charles moved towards Naples, and needed both to pass through Tuscany, as well as leave troops there to secure his lines of communication. Piero attempted to stay neutral, but this was unacceptable to Charles, who invaded Tuscany. Piero attempted a resistance, but did not receive much support from Florence, which was suffering from the influence of Savonarola; even his cousins deserted to Charles. Piero therefore quickly gave up as Charles' army neared Florence, giving Charles everything he demanded, without making any attempt to negotiate better terms. The resultant fury in Florence led to the Medici family fleeing, after which the family palazzo was looted, the substance as well as the form of the Republic of Florence was re-established, and the family were formally exiled, to wander through the states of Italy and Europe. Some years later, in 1503, as the French and Spanish continued their struggle in Italy over the Kingdom of Naples, Piero was drowned in the Garigliano River, while attempting to flee the aftermath of a battle which the French (with whom he was allied) had lost. http://www.answers.com/Piero+II+de+Medici Sep 08 06, 12:22 PM

lanfranco

Old "Piero the Gouty" had a worse nickname than his grandson but a considerably better life. Sep 08 06, 12:37 PM

Create a Free FunTrivia ID to add to, request more/new answers, or edit this entry

What made the de Medici family wealthy? Why is £15 sometimes known as a Commodore? Why are Norwich City known as the Canaries? Why are fraudulent healers known as quacks?

1 Medici Family This is a quiz on the famous rulers of Florence whose influence later spread to all of the Italian peninsula and the rest of Europe. Italian Tough 15 Q personx Jun 04 03 1089 plays 2 The Unfortunate Quiz I would prefer writing a happy quiz, but unfortunately, I can't do that. I have to create a sad quiz on the "Lemony" series. I wish I could say "good luck", but that doesn't happen in this quiz. Lemony Snicket . Average 10 Q linkan Dec 18 04 4065 plays 3 The Series of Unfortunate Events This quiz is about the popular children's book series 'The Series of Unfortunate Events' by Lemony Snicket. They are very good, very dramatic. You should read them. Unfortunate Events - General Very Easy 10 Q LazyLindsay001 Jan 21 02 4917 plays