Born in Florence, Alessandro was recognized by a plurality of his contemporaries as the only son of
Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino, grandson of
Lorenzo de' Medici "the Magnificent". Others believed him to be the illegitimate son of Giulio de' Medici (later
Pope Clement VII), but at the time and today that was a minority view.
Scipione Ammirato, the court historian of the Medicean grand duchy writes that "...some whose authority is credible and that have obtained this secret from penetralia servants, think he was son of Clement, born of a servant of the house when he was a knight of Saint John." His nickname "il Moro" is attributed to his relatively dark pigmentation. Some historians, such as
Christopher Hibbert, present two hypotheses as to Alessandro de Medici's ancestry: he was "rumoured to be
Cardinal Giulio's son by either a Moorish slave or a peasant woman from the
Roman Campagna". French author Jean Nestor reported in the 1560s that the claim of a Moorish slave origin was a false rumor first spread by Alessandro's exiled enemies in Naples.
University of Florence historian
Giorgio Spini too described this rumour as unfounded, instead tracing Alessandro's mother to a peasant from the Roman countryside who would later go on to marry a carrier from Lazio. , based on ''
Dürer's Rhinoceros''. Motto: "Non vuelvo sin vencer" (old Spanish for "I shall not return without victory") (From
Paolo Giovio's ''Dialogo dell'imprese militari et amorose'', 1557)
Early life Alessandro spent his early childhood in Rome, where he received a humanist education by
Pierio Valeriano Bolzani, under the supervision of
Pope Leo X and Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici. During those years, a number of unexpected deaths occurred in the Medici family’s senior line:
Giuliano de' Medici, Duke of Nemours (1516);
Lorenzo II de' Medici, Duke of Urbino (1519); and eventually Pope Leo X (1521). This prompted Cardinal Giulio (then Gran Maestro of Florence, later Pope Clement VII), to relocate the remaining Medici heirs to
Poggio a Caiano, near Florence: Alessandro; his half-sister
Catherine, (later Queen Consort of France); and his cousin
Ippolito, (later Vice-Chancellor of the Catholic Church). In 1522, Cardinal Giulio purchased the title 'Duke of Penne' for Alessandro from
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. They openly feuded throughout their short lives. Passerini was extremely unpopular with the anti-Medici faction in Florence, as well as with members of the Medici family such as
Clarice Strozzi, daughter of
Piero the Unfortunate. She disparaged not only Passerini but Alessandro as well, calling him unworthy of the family name. Outrage over the Medici-backed Passerini regency led to a popular revolt four years later. During the
Sack of Rome in 1527, a faction of Florentines overthrew the Medici and installed a theocratic,
Savonarola-influenced
Republic. Alessandro lived in exile for the next three years. Pope Clement VII chose him for the position over Ippolito, who was made
cardinal. Clement’s choice increased tension between the Medici cousins; for the rest of Ippolito’s life, he spoke openly about wanting to overthrow Alessandro and lead Florence. Alessandro arrived in Florence to rule on 5 July 1531. Nine months later he was made hereditary duke by Charles, as Tuscany was technically part of the
Holy Roman Empire. This ended the Florentine Republic and started over 200 years of Medici monarchy. The Florentine Constitution of 1532 consolidated Duke Alessandro’s power. While Clement lived, Alessandro ruled "with the advice of elected councils, trying to calm the nerves of the defeated republicans"; however, as his reign progressed he showed authoritarian tendencies. In 1534, he ordered construction of Florence’s
Fortezza da Basso, “to secure the Medici’s control of the city following their recent return after the Siege of Florence, and to provide lodging for a massive contingent of troops.” Duke Alessandro’s government drew both praise and criticism. His “common sense and his feeling for justice won his subjects’ affection”; and he “enjoyed some status as the champion of the poor and the helpless, as ballads and novelle record.” Conversely, Florence’s vocal exile community judged his rule as harsh, depraved, and incompetent, an assessment debated by historians. In 1535, the exiles enlisted Cardinal Ippolito to meet with Emperor Charles V to denounce Alessandro's government; however, en route to the meeting, Ippolito died under questionable circumstances. Rumors spread that he was poisoned on Alessandro's orders. After the exiles voiced their complaints to Charles, Florentine diplomat
Francesco Guicciardini responded, “his Excellency’s virtue, his fame, the opinion of him held throughout the city, of his prudence, of his virtuous habits, are a sufficient reply". Emperor Charles dismissed the complaints, continuing to support Alessandro. ==Assassination==