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Fra Angelicao, Fra Lippo Lippi, Paolo Uccello, and Friends
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13809 |
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THE ARTS
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12 / 1988 |
5,094 Words |
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Glenn Andres and A. Richard Turner
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Florence entered the 1430s convinced that it possessed an intellectual, artistic and moral superiority equal to its economic and political prominence. For all of the city's protestations of republicanism, it was and had been solidly oligarchic since the last quarter of the fourteenth century. The crises of the Milanese and Neapolitan wars had temporarily drawn together competing ruling factions and the larger community in a series of heroic cooperative actions and had fostered an illusion of relative communal unanimity. There was never any question, however, of where the city's power really resided. If Florence were to survive in the treacherous seas of quattrocento Italy, the city needed a stable captaincy. In a pattern remarkably like that of the revered late republican Rome, it developed (albeit unofficially) a triumvirate that guided the state through the turbulent first decades of the century. This arrangement worked relatively well for a while, but its success depended on the personalities of the leaders.
Time inevitably worked its changes in the inner circle of power. The character of the ruling committee altered significantly in the 1420s and disorganized dissidents turned their hopes toward the Medici. As a result of Salvestro de' Medici's role in the revolt of the ciompi in 1378, the family name had been associated with the popular republican cause. The current head of the family, Giovanni di Bicci, had remained quiet politically, concentrating upon his prosperous international business affairs. He and his son Cosimo, who succeeded him at the family helm in 1429, held themselves aloof from the increasingly extravagant oligarchic clique, maintaining an image of simplicity and severity that was attractive to the Florentine rank and file. After the death of the last of the triumvirate in 1431, Cosimo emerged as a rallying figure who was openly suggested as a new leader for the city. Albizzi, son of one of the former triumvirate rulers, quickly had him arrested and banished to Venice.
Resentful of Albizzi's increasingly heavy-handed actions and suspicious that in league with Milan he intended to install himself as tyrant, the discontented citizens met in parliament in 1434. They banished Albizzi and recalled Cosimo to Florence. He had left with his life and wealth in danger, but he returned as a conquering hero. Quickly and cannily he and his supporters established a hold on the city. On the surface, no basic changes were made in governmental procedure and the republic continued as before. One oligarchic party had merely replaced another in the running of the state. The new oligarch, however, revealed himself to be not only a shrewd businessman and statesman, but also one of the great political bosses of all time. He refined still further the old Florentine practice of manipulating elections to assure that only his supporters would hold office. And he reformed the catasto, introducing a progressive rate of taxation. Not only was this popular with the city's small businessmen, but it was also used to keep wealthy citizens under control. Armed with these tools, Cosimo and his party ran roughshod over the opposition. Those who were not banished were taxed into ruin.
At the same time, Cosimo set about consolidating his position by means of a carefully wrought public image. Successful in his assumption and use of power, he artfully managed as well to justify his holding of that power. He established his right to leadership in the popular mind with policies that materially benefited the city and enhanced its reputation. Maintaining the guise of a private citizen and holding no
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