Lucrezia Tornabuoni

Lucrezia Tornabuoni (22 June 1427 – 25 March 1482) was a writer and influential political adviser. Connected by birth to two of the most powerful families in 15th-century Italy, she later married Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, connecting herself to another of the most powerful families in Italy and extending her own power and influence. She had significant political influence during the rule of her husband and then her son, Lorenzo. She worked to support the needs of the poor and religious in the region, supporting several institutions. She was a patron of the arts, and also wrote poems and plays herself.

Family and Marriage

Lucrezia was born on 22 June 1427. Her father was Francesco di Simone Tornabuoni, a noble from a family that could trace its lineage back 500 years. Her mother was Nanna di Niccolo di Luigi Guicciardini. Lucrezia was well-educated and read many texts, including in Latin and Greek. On 3 Jun 1444, Lucrezia married Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, son of Cosimo de' Medici, a wealthy banker from Florence. Francesco was a friend and supporter of Cosimo, even through Cosimo's 1434 exile from Florence. The marriage and her dowry of 1200 florins helped to seal the alliance between their families. The health of the couple was not always good, with Piero's gout and Lucrezia suffering from arthritis and eczema. These conditions caused her to frequently seek treatments at baths around Tuscany. She and her husband frequently wrote to each other while apart, with tenderness and concern. She became good friends with her brother-in-law, Giovanni.