Filippo Strozzi the Younger

Filippo Strozzi the Younger
Born	Florence
Died	18 December 1538(1538-12-18) (aged 49)
Occupation(s)	Financier, banker, condottiero
Known for	Leading Florentine financier during the Renaissance; ally of the House of Medici; head of the Strozzi family

Filippo Strozzi the Younger (4 January 1489 – 18 December 1538) was a leading Florentine financier and the most distinguished figure of the Strozzi family during the Renaissance. Although frequently depicted as a champion of the Florentine republic opposing the Medici dukes, this portrayal largely originates from nineteenth-century nationalist interpretations. In truth, he played a significant role as an ally of the House of Medici in both Florence and Rome.

Biography

Originally named Giambattista Strozzi upon his birth in Florence, he was renamed after his father, Filippo Strozzi the Elder, who passed away when Filippo was just two years old.

With Medici control curbing the political influence of Florentine nobility, Filippo initially focused on his banking ventures until 1515, when he was appointed depositor general of the Apostolic Chamber under Pope Leo X. This appointment allowed him to establish a vast financial network extending from Naples to the Atlantic coast.

The papacy of Leo X, commencing in 1513, marked the end of Florence’s autonomy but proved advantageous for certain bankers—most notably Filippo, who solidified his position by marrying Leo’s niece. Through the Strozzi bank, he orchestrated substantial financial transfers from Florence to Rome, skillfully concealing these movements before reporting back to Florence.

During the pontificate of the second Medici pope, Clement VII (1523–1534), Filippo maintained his influential post until the Sack of Rome (1527). He managed papal tax receipts in Spain but became embroiled in controversy during a 1533 grain crisis in Rome, where he sold substandard grain at inflated prices. Following Clement’s death in 1534 and the subsequent loss of Medici protection, Filippo aligned with Florentine exiles; his later years were marked by exile and imprisonment, overshadowing his prior achievements.

His residence in Rome served as an educational setting for notable individuals such as Catherine de' Medici and Lorenzino de' Medici.

In 1537, under Strozzi leadership, an army composed of Florentine exiles returned from France to challenge Florence but suffered defeat at the Battle of Montemurlo against forces loyal to Cosimo I de' Medici, supported by Habsburg Spain. Filippo was captured while his sons escaped to Venice and France.

He died in 1538 within Florence’s Fortress of San Giovanni Battista, either by suicide or execution ordered by Cosimo de' Medici.

Filippo’s family heritage includes the famous Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, a project begun by his father and completed in 1534.

Issue

In 1508, he married Clarice de' Medici (1489–1528). Together they had ten children, many of whom occupied prominent military and ecclesiastical positions:

• Piero Strozzi (1511–1558), military leader and Marshal of France
• Maria Strozzi (1514–between 1551 and 1575), wed Lorenzo Ridolfi in 1529
• Leone Strozzi (1515–1554), military commander and Knight of Malta
• Luisa Strozzi (d. 1534), married Senator Luigi Capponi in 1533; died from poisoning a year later
• Roberto Strozzi (1520–1566), united the Strozzi and Medici banking dynasties through marriage to Maddalena di Pierfrancesco de' Medici
• Maddalena Strozzi (1521–1596), married Count Flaminio dell'Anguillara in 1538
• Giulio Strozzi (1522–1537)
• Lorenzo Strozzi (1523–1571), abbot and Catholic Cardinal
• Vincenzo Strozzi (died c. 1537), afflicted with mental illness
• Alessandro Strozzi (died 1541)