GE - Yule

[cyoung5 at us.ibm.com]

At the New-comers' meeting last night some of you asked if there is a theme
to the Yule Revel this year.  I am forwarding a missive from Ihon detailing
the theme.

Enjoy,
Caitlin

Carolyn B. Young
Integrated Customer Management System Unit -Telecom & Media
Phone: 281.274.9579          FAX: 281.240.8743
cyoung5 at us.ibm.com

If you don't have the time to do it right, when will you have the time to
do it over?


---------------------- Forwarded by Carolyn Young/Austin/IBM on 12/10/99
12:05 PM ---------------------------

-------------- next part --------------


On December 3rd, 1468, Lorenzo (the Magnificent) de?Medici, and his brother
Giuiliano will succeed their father Piero in rule of Florence.  In
celebration, they have called upon us for a revel to be held December 11th.



LORENZO THE MAGNIFICENT


                       The elder son of Piero, Lorenzo (born in 1449) was
destined to a brief but intense life that would
                       go down in the history of Florence and Italy.
Lorenzo
the Magnificent is, without doubt, the most
                       important and significant member of the Medici
family
from all points of view. He was one of the
                       great leaders of the Italy of his time, which
precisely in Florence witnessed on extraordinary
                       flowering of intellectual activities. He was a
politician, a man of power and culture.

                       Lorenzo began his public life very early and he
succeeded his father when he was not yet
                       twenty-one. Immediately he had to face difficult
situations such as financial problems, conspiracies,
                       relations with the Papacy, with Kings princes and
milers of the countries. Nevertheless slowly the
                       "balance of power" that Lorenzo maintained with
Milan, Venice and Naples reinforced the
                       Florentine position, and wise economic measures
improved the family finances. But Lorenzo's
                       genius went further than this: he continued his
family's traditional patronage of artists, opening his
                       house and gardens to the younger ones. First
Leonardo
then Michelangelo and many others such
                       as Botticelli, Filippino Lippi etc. turned to him
for
aid and protection.

                       At the time of Lorenzo the Magnificent, precisely in
1485, Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican
                       from the convent of San Marco began to seduce the
Florentines with his prophetic language. He
                       spoke of the Apocalypse and of the dreadful God,
first from the pulpit of San Marco and then
                       from that of the cathedral. Although it had been
Lorenzo who had brought the Dominican back
                       from exile in Bologna, Savonarola's preaching soon
took on a tone of implacable accusation
                       against his benefactor.

                       The friar accused Lorenzo publicly and univocally of
ruining the state and squandering the wealth
                       of the people deposited in the public coffers. Those
who attempted to appease the spirit of the
                       friar received the answer, "I do not care. But let
(the Magnificent) know that I am a foreigner and
                       he is a citizen and the first of the city: I am to
stay and he is to go: I shall stay and not he." Many
                       saw in these words a prophesy of Lorenzo's death,
like the lightning-bolt that had struck
                       Brunelleschi's dome a few months before his death.
Accounts of this last meeting between
                       Lorenzo the Magnificent and Savonarola, differ, but
one may suppose, or hope, that in the end the
                       friar remembered above all his duties as a priest.
Lorenzo died peacefully in the night between
                       April 8 and 9, 1492 in the Villa of Careggi Florence
was deeply shaken by his death which left an
                       immense void in the world.

                       Two years after Lorenzo's death his eldest son
Piero,
called the "unfortunate", was exiled from
                       Florence for his political "incapacity" and only
after 18 years the Medici family could return to its
                       home-town.

Lorenzo de' Medici
 Biography Explanation of Clues Further Readings Media Credits
 As the 20-year-old successor of three powerful generations, Lorenzo de?
Medici assumed leadership of the Florentine republic in 1469. Although not
royalty, the family was given special political responsibilities since
Giovanni de? Medici?s rise to wealth and power in the 14th century. Each
succeeding generation used the family wealth to better the city of Florence
through loans, grants and patronage of the arts. Lorenzo continued this
tradition as well as becoming the unofficial Head of State.
 The special treatment shown to the Medicis by the city of Florence led to
feelings of resentment among many other wealthy families. Cosimo de?
Medici,
Lorenzo?s grandfather, was exiled from Florence in 1433 by families who
were
greedy for his power and influence. Though his returned was celebrated, the
seeds of conspiracy had been sown. Lorenzo faced similar circumstances in
1478. The Pazzi family, in conjunction with Pope Sixtus IV, planned to kill
Lorenzo and his brother Giuliano in order to take over the city government.
 The conspirators planned to kill the Medicis as they prepared to take
communion at Easter Mass. The toll of the sanctuary bell was their signal
to
attack. As Lorenzo and Giuliano lowered their heads in reverence, they were
struck by clubs and swords. Giuliano did not survive the 19 wounds he
received. Lorenzo, however, managed to escape into the sacristy that had
been commissioned by his father. A riot began that lasted several days as
Medici supporters sought out all conspirators. The Pazzis were put to death
immediately, invoking the wrath of Pope Sixtus IV.
 Upon the death of the Pazzis, the Pope convinced King Ferdinand of Naples
to join him in declaring war against Florence. Because of Lorenzo?s past
disregard of his orders, the Pope was anxious to see Lorenzo lose his
power.
In what was perhaps his most important act of diplomacy, Lorenzo secretly
traveled to Naples to ask Ferdinand for peace. While he recognized the
danger of this visit, Lorenzo was convinced that this was his only hope of
saving Florence from the ravages of war. Impressed by Lorenzo?s boldness
and
eloquence, Ferdinand accepted the olive branch he was offered. Lorenzo
returned to Florence as virtual lord of the city, and although Florence was
a republic, the advice and counsel offered by Lorenzo was never again put
into question.
 Beyond his political responsibilities, Lorenzo supported the health and
well being of the city in any way he could. His generosity was even noted
by
one of his enemies who said, "If Florence was to have a tyrant, she could
never have found a better or more delightful one." This opinion was shared
by most people in the city, especially the poor. Under his reign, they had
food, justice and exciting public holidays. And because of his belief in
the
value of education, Lorenzo moved to donate his family?s immense library to
the city so that everyone would have access to knowledge. He also continued
to meet with the Platonic Academy, a group he established along with
Marsilio Ficino, in order to provide the city?s intellectuals with a medium
for discussion.
 Lorenzo?s patronage of the arts, equal to that of his father, Piero, and
grandfather Cosimo, is legendary. Not only did he commission such artists
as
Botticelli, Michelangelo and Verrocchio, he also gave them shelter and
supplies in order to foster their talents. In addition he made generous
loans to the city, and paid many of its debts himself, in order to prevent
any problems within his beloved republic.
 Privately, Lorenzo was an intellectual, studying the works of Greek
philosophers and Latin poets. He believed it necessary to find joy in
everyday life, no matter your station or occupation. The songs and poems he
wrote reflected these beliefs. He threw many parties in order to encourage
those around him to enjoy life to the fullest. Most of all, he believed
that
it was his duty as a Medici to dedicate his life to the city of Florence.
And he did just that until gout claimed his life in April 1492.