"It's one of the most dramatic stories in 15th century Florence. In 1478, the Pazzi, a well-established Florentine banking family, with support from Pope Sixtus IV, the King of Naples, and the Archbishop of Pisa, and others, hatched a plot so daring as to almost appear ridiculous: to kill Giuliano and Lorenzo de' Medici in order to take control of Florence. On Sunday, April 26, during High Mass in the Duomo, assassins, armed with knives, attacked the two brothers. Francesco de' Pazzzi and Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli stabbed Giuliano nineteen times, killing him. Two armed priests went for Lorenzo, but Lorenzo fled with only a wound and locked himself in the north sacristy." (from
Florence Sights and Landmarks, by Cheryl Tucker.
The Pazzi coat of arms is pictured above. I haven't been able to find any information about the significance of what appears to be two dolphins. I'll be looking for clues in Medieval History, as the Pazzi (means "crazy men"?) were an old family who allegedly participated in the First Crusade.
A loyal ( and erudite!) reader says: "The article I mentioned is by a leading German scholar of Florentine things. Turns out I dont have the article but did locate the abstract. SO, the short answer is that the dolphins started out as mullets. As a coat of arms they were conferred upon the Pazzi by the Duke of Bar either around the time that Charles of Anjou resided in Italy or a bit later, in 1301 when Charles de Valois was in Florence.
ReplyDeleteIn their display of the dolphins the Pazzi demonstrated their allegiance to the Duke of Bar whose arms theirs resembles, as well as to the Parte Guelfa.
Please note that my original article was published in The Florentine, and you can find it here (the text above is not linked): https://www.theflorentine.net/2008/11/13/a-tour-through-the-pazzi-conspiracy/
ReplyDelete