Lorenzo de’ Medici, also known as Lorenzo the Magnificent, was an Italian politician, statesman, diplomat, banker and de facto ruler of the Republic of Florence. Considered to be one of the most influential patrons of artists, poets, and scholars during the Italian Renaissance, he ushered in the Golden Age of Florence and funded many public projects in the city. In his youth, he far outshone his siblings and was tutored by a Greek Scholar, a philosopher, and a bishop and diplomat. He equally excelled in physical activities, participating in jousting, hunting, hawking, and breeding horses for Palio di Siena. He entered politics at the age of 16, assuming the familial power over Florence four years later. He employed the same tactics used by his predecessors, ruling the city indirectly and instigating payoffs, threats, and strategic marriages through his associates to maintain absolute control. The Medicis had their own share of enemies, who not only despised them for their wealth and almost tyrannical hold over Florence, but also because they were not elected for this position. Lorenzo was instrumental in forging a tentative alliance with the warring Italian city states, which collapsed soon after his death. He left the Medici bank assets depleted, with the economy already suffering a severe drainage with his grandfather’s ambitious building projects, mismanagement, wars, and political expenses before him.