Isaac Figliuoli

Supervisor: Virginia Cox

Research topic: ‘The Poetic Education of a Crownless Prince. Verses for the Young Lorenzo de’ Medici, ca. 1449-1470’

My research project examines poetry written for and about Lorenzo de’ Medici, also known as ‘the Magnificent’ (1449-1492), unofficial ruler of the Republic of Florence. In particular, I focus on verse produced during Lorenzo’s youth, in the context of what could rightly be defined as a poetic education. I wish to highlight the central role played by poetry in shaping Lorenzo’s identity and his theory and practice of power. How, I ask, did this literature impact the way Lorenzo understood his position in Florence in relation to his predecessors? How did the poetic relations he cultivated in his youth provide a model for the patronage relations that he would cultivate for the rest of his life, and that were the foundation of Medici power? What interpretive tools did Latin and vernacular poetic traditions provide to make sense of the ambiguous position of the Medici in Florence and justify an increasingly centralised regime in a city that formally remained a republic? 

In order to answer these questions, I start by assessing how Lorenzo’s image was constructed in continuity with that of his grandfather Cosimo. I then turn to the young man’s friendship circle (brigata), examining how poetry acted as a communication tool in these socially imbalanced relationships. Then, I look at verse that celebrates Lorenzo’s relationship with his ideal dama, Lucrezia Donati, and his marriage with Clarice Orsini, as a way to affirm his masculinity and strengthen social bonds in Florence and beyond. Finally, I consider how the death of Lorenzo’s father Piero and his subsequent rise to power changed his practice of poetic patronage, focusing on the expectations and tensions resulting from his new position.

This project is situated in a rich tradition of scholarship on Medici power and Renaissance patronage, to which it seeks to contribute by focusing at a hitherto overlooked aspect. Working at the crossroad between literary scholarship and intellectual history, I seek to understand how poetry functioned as a vehicle of political discourse. I think of verse-writing not just as an artistic expression, but as a peculiar form of communication, stemming from the peculiar social dynamics of Quattrocento Florence, yet also capable of having a profound impact on them. At the same time, I am keenly interested in the relationship between Latin and vernacular literatures, seeking to challenge any simplistic divisions between popular and elite cultures.

Talks and presentations

05/06/2025 ‘Unico, singular padre e monarca. Niccolò Cieco’s capitoli for Martin V and Eugenius IV’. Society for Neo-Latin Studies Postgraduate Research Sharing and Feedback Event, online

09/07/2025 ‘Nunc surda omnia. Idealisation and Anxiety in Poliziano’s Depictions of Lorenzo de’ Medici’s Death’. International Medieval Congress, Leeds

02/12/2025 ‘Sensing the Gospel. Pietro Aretino’s Umanità di Cristo as a Scripted Vision’. ‘Medieval Times in Early Modern Texts’ conference, Bratislava 

10/02/2026 ‘The Influence of Classical Tragedy on Lorenzo de’ Medici’s Rappresentazione di San Giovanni e Paolo’, Cambridge Classical Reception Seminar

20/02/2026, ‘Virtue Poetics: Niccolò Cieco between Aristotelianism and Humanism’, Renaissance Society of America Annual Meeting, San Francisco

Scholarships and Awards 

AHRC OOC DTP 2026-2029 studentship