Florentine Society during the Reign of the First Three Medici: Republic or Principate?

Abstract

The article examines the processes of reforming the electoral system of the republic during the reign of Cosimo (1434—1464), Piero (1464—1469) and Lorenzo de' Medici (1469—1492), as well as the reactions of citizens to the changes taking place in society. The Medici, without abolishing communal democracy as a whole, used only partial changes to traditional electoral procedures, not always resorting to “hand–held elections”, when commission members took out parchment ballots with the right names from open bags — this practice has been tested since the 1380s, but the Medici knew that it was negatively perceived by the majority of citizens. Already under Cosimo, another option for controlling election to positions at an earlier stage began to be applied — the compilation of lists of candidates from each quarter by members of election commissions: the total number of candidates in them did not decrease, but the range of surnames to which they belonged was significantly reduced, which allowed the Medici to include several people from families which were close to them to the lists. The policy of the first three Medici was flexible. Along with punitive measures, most often expulsions, there could be generous help and benefits for their remaining relatives. The same is evidenced by the attempted conspiracy of the Pazzi in 1478, when the people supported the Medici, but not the conspirators.