Great patron of the Renaissance. Lorenzo de 'Medici

One of the most colorful personalities in history is Lorenzo de 'Medici, nicknamed the Magnificent. His role in world culture is just as huge as Newton's role in physics and mathematics. This person lived in the era of Quattrocento, the 1400s, during the heyday of Florence. The unique city-republic is known for its ancient history and inhabitants, who thought outside the box, valued independence and freedom. In Florence, flourished banking and art, trade, crafts, there worked great architects, poets, sculptors and artists. It is the "Blossoming" (so the name of this Italian city is translated from Latin) became the birthplace of humanism - the current which the main value called a person.

At such a time on January 1, 1449, Lorenzo de 'Medici was born. His life was active and full, contradictory and very stormy. Every day from forty-three years of his life he lived with meaning. He belonged to a well-known dynasty of bankers, so the family was wealthy and influential. Four years after the death of his grandfather Cosimo de 'Medici, the town's Priority, his grandson, Medici Lorenzo, was elected to the position of honor. The young man deserved such honor with his mind and political talent, high education and love of the arts, flexible mind and diplomacy. He was not handsome in appearance, but had a special charm. And almost all his associates, he excelled in generosity.

Lorenzo de 'Medici brilliantly performed the task, which was imposed on him by the townspeople: he provided Florence with peace, beauty and well-being. Reasonably ruling the city, it contributed to its prosperity and popularization. On duty, the young man often visited the courts of the rulers of Milan, Naples, Venice, Bologna. On trips, he met with people that they had decided the destinies of the world. From them, he learned to severely suppress conspiracies against himself and even excommunicated the Pope from the church in response to his own anathema. Lorenzo was able to avoid the war with Rome, having made enormous efforts.

But most of all Lorenzo de 'Medici became famous as a generous philanthropist who expanded the library founded by his grandfather, founded a university, patronized Donatello, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and collected art. Who knows, we could enjoy the amazing masterpieces of the masters of the Renaissance, if not for this great man. They could not create half of their masterpieces, taking care of the daily bread. Or maybe their work would have been destroyed by ruthless time and people who do not understand anything about art. Also under the auspices of Lorenzo de 'Medici, the Caregie Academy operated, of which Pico della Mirandola, Ficino, Poliziano were members.

Death snatched the great Florentine from the entourage of his faithful friends and people who sincerely loved him. In mourning was not only Florence, but the whole world of high art. He was mourned as the very native man. After the death of the patron, Giorgio Vasari drew his portrait. How accurately the artist managed to convey the image of the hero, we will not know. But the main thing is that we, the descendants of the great Lorenzo, remember what he did for us.