1518 - “God give and God take”
Philiberta de Medici, Duchess of Nemours and Lady of Florence was looking at her husband, Giuliano, and her brother-in-law, Pope Leo X, arrived from Rome few days earlier, together with Alfonsina, both men were unusually somber, but the actual circumstances were quite tragic: their nephew Lorenzo had been killed a month earlier by their cousin Pierfrancesco, who was trying to protect his beautiful wife, Maria Soderini, who had become the latest object of Lorenzo’s lust (and Giuliano knew very well who both the sisters of Pierfrancesco, who had inherited their mother and aunt’s beauty, had been also object of unwanted attentions from Lorenzo and had told that to his brother and sisters-in-law, who had almost refuted to believe to him). Lorenzo had been buried the day earlier with full honors, but everyone knew who Pierfrancesco would be absolved for the murder, and that if he was put on trial at all, as it happened in Pierfrancesco‘s house and he was defending his wife and honor (and too many other nobles of Florence had been in the same situation, only unable or unwilling to defend their kinswomen). What Philiberta do not knew was who Lorenzo had often menaced his uncle to add her to the long list of his conquests if Giuliano crossed him (and when he was told that part Giovanni had needed only to look at the expression of his brother for believing him, for all who he wished the opposite).
Philiberta had happy news to give but was unsure who that would be the right moment or who a right moment for it existed at all: still Giuliano‘s brother and all his three sisters were there and also Alfonsina and they would soon depart so she would not have a better chance for it and maybe the announcement of her third pregnancy would alleviate the pain for Lorenzo’s death, who had left the continuation of the main branch of the Medici entirely on her and Giuliano, so she made her choice and talked: immediately everyone started to make congratulations to her and Giuliano: the Pope, for once without his usual jokes, said “ God give and God take. I will pray for a boy who will continue our family as that is entirely in your hands now but you must promise me to call him Lorenzo, after our father and our poor nephew“ with the vehement agreement of Alfonsina, who made quite easy for Giuliano (who truly had always desired to be able to use that name) and Philiberta to promise.
Philiberta had happy news to give but was unsure who that would be the right moment or who a right moment for it existed at all: still Giuliano‘s brother and all his three sisters were there and also Alfonsina and they would soon depart so she would not have a better chance for it and maybe the announcement of her third pregnancy would alleviate the pain for Lorenzo’s death, who had left the continuation of the main branch of the Medici entirely on her and Giuliano, so she made her choice and talked: immediately everyone started to make congratulations to her and Giuliano: the Pope, for once without his usual jokes, said “ God give and God take. I will pray for a boy who will continue our family as that is entirely in your hands now but you must promise me to call him Lorenzo, after our father and our poor nephew“ with the vehement agreement of Alfonsina, who made quite easy for Giuliano (who truly had always desired to be able to use that name) and Philiberta to promise.
