Murder in the Cathedral
Bernardo Bandini Baroncelli dealt the first blow; Crying out "Here, traitor!" he buried his dagger into Giuliano de' Medici's chest. The force of the blow caused Giuliano to stagger backward a few steps into the arms of Francesco de' Pazzi who attacked him savagely, stabbing him eighteen times - one thrust so brutal that the blade of Francesco's dagger passed all the way through Giuliano's body and deep into his own thigh.
At the same instant Lorenzo felt a hand on his shoulder and as he turned saw the priest Maffei lunging at him with a knife. Lorenzo pulled away and the knife only sliced into his neck below his right ear. Lorenzo spun to face his attackers. Quickly drawing his sword and wrapping his giornea around his left arm, he fought off Maffei's knife and Stefano's sword as the pair lunged at him repeatedly. Baroncelli ran to join the two priests in their attack on Lorenzo, but Francesco Nori, a Medici bank manager and close family friend blocked his way. Baroncelli drove his long dagger into Nori's belly. Francesco de' Pazzi also tried to join the attack on Lorenzo, but was limping badly from his wound and before he could get to him, Lorenzo had vaulted over a wooden railing where friends pushed him across the octagonal choir and into the safety of the north sacristy.
Chaos ensued. Florentines fled in terror. Guglielmo de' Pazzi began to rush madly about the cathedral, wide-eyed with panic, screaming out his innocence; that he was sorry; that he knew nothing of the plot. Friends dragged the mortally wounded Francesco Nori into the north sacristy where he died a few minutes later. Once inside, they closed and barred the bronze doors to protect Lorenzo. Medici servants attacked Francesco de' Pazzi, Bernardo Baroncelli, Maffei, and Stefano who - along with their supporters - fled from the cathedral and ran through the streets to the Pazzi Palace a few minutes away. Raffaele Sansoni Riario, the Pope's nephew - Cardinal of San Giorgio - collapsed to his knees by the high altar, overcome by terror and prayed feverishly until he was lifted by the cathedral canons and taken to the old sacristy.
As the cathedral emptied, friends of Lorenzo within the sacristy tried to calm him as he asked repeatedly after his brother. While Antonio Ridolfi saw to Lorenzo's wound, Sigismondo della Stufa climbed the spiral staircase to the organ gallery. Gazing down, Sigismondo saw Giuliano de' Medici's lifeless body crumpled in a widening pool of blood. He also saw friends of the Medici - Tornabioni, Martelli, Poliziano - well armed and standing guard outside the sacristy door.
Surrounded by friends, Lorenzo was escorted the short walk to the Medici Palace where more men, now armed, awaited his arrival. As they rushed down the city streets they heard the tolling of the vacca - the alarm bell in the tower of the Palazzo della Signoria - signaling a call to arms. Lorenzo and his friends must have known at this point that something big was happening throughout the city. As they arrived at the Medici Palace, the alarm signal was being echoed by the bells of the many churches both within and outside the city walls, summoning the populace to defend their beloved city.
Next: The Coup d'Etat