Book contents
- Piero di Lorenzo de’ Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance Italy
- Piero di Lorenzo de’ Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance Italy
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I The Early Years
- Part II Between Republicanism and Princely Rule
- 8 Cultural Patronage and Sportsmanship
- 9 Ruling as Patrons in Florence’s Dominion and Beyond
- Part III Piero in Power
- Part IV Piero in Exile
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
8 - Cultural Patronage and Sportsmanship
from Part II - Between Republicanism and Princely Rule
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 December 2019
- Piero di Lorenzo de’ Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance Italy
- Piero di Lorenzo de’ Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance Italy
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- List of Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Part I The Early Years
- Part II Between Republicanism and Princely Rule
- 8 Cultural Patronage and Sportsmanship
- 9 Ruling as Patrons in Florence’s Dominion and Beyond
- Part III Piero in Power
- Part IV Piero in Exile
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Although Piero was criticised for his love of sports and footballing in the streets, sportsmanship – like cultural patronage – contributed to the soft power increasingly enjoyed by Renaissance rulers. Visits to the antiquities in the Medici palace and to the model farm at Poggio a Caiano formed part of diplomats’ tours of Florence, while the sports of horse racing and falconry provided invaluable items for gift exchanges with other rulers. So too did Piero’s famous Spanish runner Garzerano, who was regarded as a trophy (‘like some prince’, in the eyes of the royal court) when borrowed by Alfonso of Naples for his son.1 So if Piero’s sporting activities were unappreciated at home, they gave him more standing outside Florence than his critics may have realised.
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- Piero di Lorenzo de' Medici and the Crisis of Renaissance Italy , pp. 107 - 122Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020