Giuliano de' Medici

## Early life

**Giuliano de' Medici** was born to Lucrezia Tornabuoni and Piero de' Medici in 1453 in Florence. His elder brother Lorenzo being required to become head of the family, Giuliano was often reckless and takes up dueling and jousting challenges thanks to his impulsive, athletic nature. He was a pampered child of the family. However, Giuliano had great level of affection for his elder brother Lorenzo and his family. He often told his brother that he needed to fight dirty with those who fought dirty themselves. Lorenzo always believed there were paths to peace that didn't require him to stoop to the level of his enemies. The Pazzi family were rival bankers and wanted power. They made a plot to take out the Medici brothers. Assassins attempted to murder both the brothers during Easter mass. Lorenzo was hurt but managed to escape. Giuliano was stabbed 19 times and died. Lorenzo apologized to him as he passed away, telling him he should have listened to him and if he had Giuliano may still be alive. After this Lorenzo becomes more cruel and determined against his enemies. He has the conspirators against him and his brother hanged without trial. He encourages the mob to wipe out the Pazzi family in revenge.

## Old scores

In Old Scores, Giuliano and Lorenzo suspect the Pazzi's behind the attack on their father which resulted in Lorenzo killing a man. While confronting the Pazzi, Giuliano is triggered and pulls out his sword. In doing so, he cuts Jacopo de' Pazzi in the arm. Francesco declares that it was an attempted murder on his uncle. Lorenzo explains that it was an accident but instead, Giuliano drops his sword and allows them to take him to their prison.

In the official meeting over the Pazzi accusation, Giuliano refuses to apologize to Jacopo, on his way out, he is attacked by Francesco and his gang.

## Standing Alone

After his elder brother Lorenzo obtains the position of the head of their family and bank, Giuliano doubted his motives but was later relieved when he witnesses him being firm on securing their family interests rather than his own. However, when Giuliano accompanied his artist friend Sandro Botticelli to deliver a painting made by the artist to a merchant, they witness the merchant's pretty wife Simonetta Vespucci, who seemed to have made an everlasting impact on him.

## Obstacles and opportunities

When Pope Paul died, in order to maintain a firm support for Florence from neighbouring states Lorenzo intends to build a trade alliance with the Milanese Duchy while being accompanied by Giuliano. Meanwhile on Lorenzo's wedding feast held to celebrate his wife Clarice's arrival in Florence, Giuliano kept flirting with Simonetta who at first stayed resistant, later appeared to be unknowingly submitting to his true affections towards her.

## Blood with blood

Later when Sandro made Simonetta's husband Marco to consent over him taking her as his model for a painting, Giuliano started modeling as well, portraying the figure of Mars alongside his love interest Simonetta who portrayed Venus. When Lorenzo decides to make a marriage union between his brother and the daughter of a Venetian Doge's ambassador Novella, Giuliano rejected the proposal right away out of his blossoming affections for Simonetta and later also counselled his despaired sister-in-law Clarice, who was then enduring a troubled marriage with Lorenzo.

## Ties that bind

Throughout the course of a year, while the painting was being made, Giuliano and Simonetta got much deeply involved with each other. However, Giuliano finds his elder brother Lorenzo much involved with his enemy turned friend Francesco Pazzi, when he made him his son Piero's godfather, which Giuliano was hoping for, making him bit bitter towards Lorenzo out of his envy but was later counselled by his lover Simonetta who encourages him to take on family responsibilities but much to her vain when Giuliano rejects the offer to govern Imola his brother was planning to purchase. Later after falsely smelling his wife's adulterous affair with Sandro, Marco kept his wife from visiting the artist again, much to Giuliano's concern who attends her in her illness but was dismissed by Simonetta herself who claimed to have never been in love with him anymore.

## Alliance

While being at hostile relationships with the Pope, Lorenzo decides to establish an alliance between the three major states of Italy including Florence, Milan and Venice. While doing so the Duke of Milan being hesitant due to the threat of excommunication, was later persuaded by Giuliano and thus eventually submits to his reasoning thus making Lorenzo's alliance being made without further interruption. On the other side, after learning of his wife's true lover through the tyrant Francesco Pazzi, Marco locks an ailing Simonetta into the dungeons of his mansion to die, but Giuliano arrives just in time to confront the merchant and beats him off but much to his misfortune, attends his dying lover in the dungeons.

## Betrayal

After the miserable death of his lover Giuliano fell into despair and started staying sunken in his grief by drinking and staying away from people's counsel, but however was cordially counseled by Lorenzo and his mother Lucrezia. During which he also runs into a fight with his friend Sandro, who also being affected by Simonetta's death accuses Giuliano's lust to have caused the lady to die. Later being detained by his ill mental state, Giuliano does not attend the grand banquet arranged by his brother in honor of a young cardinal who had visited Lorenzo on behalf of his uncle, the Pope to negotiate peace, while in reality the banquet was assumed to be the place to assassinate the Medici brother together by their Pazzi rivals, but due to his absence, the plan was delayed to the Easter Mass.

## Mass

On the morning of the Easter morning while leaving for the cathedral to attend the mass, Giuliano intimidates Lorenzo of a foreign army marching towards the city. Also he promised his mother Lucrezia of taking family responsibilities and moving on from his lover's demise. But much to the misfortune of the family, Giuliano was butchered very brutally by Francesco and other conspirators while the mass was being held and thus died in the arms of his mother on the floors of the cathedral. Later Lorenzo in order to avenge his brother's murder hangs the Pazzi family along with all of the people involved in the conspiracy.