On January 1, 1449, a new child was born in the notorious Florentine family of Medici. The ugly boy, to whom fate orders to glorify his name. Nowadays we would call it a brilliant politician, producer and oligarch. But his contemporaries called it simpler - Magnificent. A nose like a "duck beak," with a hook. A lower jaw issued forward, for which his mouth seemed disproportionately large, and his face always frowned. The boy, born in the family of Piero di Cosimo Medici, is the long-awaited son (before he is born two girls), who is also the future heir of family wealth, he turns out to be a ugly child. The epoch is such that the people easily nicknames anyone, regardless of their origin. The grandson of the old Cosimo di Medici and the son of Piero Podagrique is named Lorenzo, but since his birth he has all the stances to remain in history like Lorenzo Groznja or Lorenzo Krivia. However, it turns into the "Heart of the Most Beautiful Age of Human History. An epoch that most closely resembles the absolute of the wonderful of the Renaissance.
If you owe money to a very powerful person, such as a king, you are in an awkward situation. But when the king owes you a lot, you are already in the deadly danger. Many influential individuals are debtors of the Medici clan, which makes the life of the family not very relaxed. Several generations before the birth of Lorenzo, his ancestors despite the family they wear (Medici - "medik"), are beginning to deal with usury. Cosimo the Old (Lorenzo's grandfather) reaches the top of the economic and political (and at that time almost the same) public pyramid. Silent and straightforward, as banker Cosimo long and stubbornly fights with his competitors, his debtors, and the usual jealous. This eventually leads him to the top of his power. But unlike property, skills are not passed on by inheritance. Kozimo, however, plans very carefully the future of the family clan. He invites in his "yard" the greatest scholars of the age to teach his children and grandchildren. Little Lorenzo, for example, was entrusted with the care of the famous philosopher Marsilio Fichino at the time. As his successor, Cosimo sees his son Giovanni (to the detriment of Piero), whom he is preparing for a future career. Piero is not seen as a future heir, especially for medical reasons. He suffers from such a severe form of gout that he can not even change himself. Closed behind the four walls of the invalid house, he could not be strong in the battle for power, especially at that time. Still, he's Medici. Therefore, at the decision of his father, Piero married Lucrezia of the friend of the Medici family Thornabuoni. She is not beautiful but she is very smart and educated. Probably, these qualities in the future prove to be very important for the rescue of the Medici family.
While still alive, Cosimo dies his son Giovanni, who must inherit him. Suddenly the successor of the most powerful person in Florence is the invalid Piero, together with his wife Lucretia and four children. His eldest son Lorenzo at that time was 15 years old. Italy of the fifteenth century can be described as a multicolored mosaic or rope sewn from many patches - a collection of jealous other relatives. The beautiful peninsula is divided by many boundaries that outline the many possessions of local rulers. In the middle of all this is the Papal area - a secular state with a religious half-monarch in the face of the pope. To the south is the Neapolitan Kingdom, to the north - the "city-states": the Duchy of Milan, Genoa, Venice. And the Florence Republic. The power elites of that time were the mighty generations Medici, Sforza, Orsini, Colona, Rovere. Today they are allies, tomorrow's enemies, and in the long run, no one even makes any predictions. And in order for the picture to be complete, the permanent "outside guests", regularly entering the Italian rug - France and Spain - are added to this.