Supremacy, Matteo Strukul

I Medici, Supremacy

Matteo Strukul

Storyline

The second instalment in a prize-winning series charting the rise of the House of Medici as they become Masters of Florence and progenitors of the Renaissance. Lorenzo de' Medici is to be wed. The marriage will cement a powerful alliance for his family. But his heart belongs to another. Torn between love and power, he has become complacent. He has forgotten the bloody path he forged on his ascent to power, and the enemies left in his wake. When the family's historical enemies and shadowy new conspirators put their bloody plot into action, the consequences will be terrible. In order to protect their supremacy, the Medici will enact a violent vengeance from which few will be spared.

Review

In this second chapter of the "Medici" saga, Matteo Strukul shifts the focus to Cosimo de’ Medici's grandson: Lorenzo the Magnificent. Set between 1469 and 1479, the main events revolve around three pivotal occurrences: the rebellion of Prato, the war against Volterra, and the Pazzi conspiracy against the Medici family. Florence, with its breathtaking beauty, serves as the backdrop for this narrative, steeped in a climate of conspiracies and betrayals, but also at the very heart of the cultural revolution of the Renaissance.
In the second volume, Strukul meticulously reconstructs historical settings, offering detailed descriptions of places, eras, and characters that allow readers to fully immerse themselves in the scenes he narrates. He also presents a vivid portrayal of two male figures who embody both the allure and contradictions of their time. On one hand, Lorenzo de’ Medici is depicted in an unexpected light, diverging from the idealized image often found in history books. We are introduced to Lorenzo at the dawn of the “Magnificent” era, revealing aspects of his personality that are seldom explored: a man who is fragile and passionate, naive and tormented. On the other hand, we encounter the controversial figure of Leonardo da Vinci, a budding genius, inspired and a proponent of timeless values.
One aspect that I will never tire of highlighting in my reviews is the extraordinary passion that Strukul manages to convey to the reader, combined with an innate talent for blending historical truth with fiction. In doing so, he creates a complex and richly nuanced plot that feels entirely believable. His way of narrating history once again proves to be modern, coherent, respectful, and undoubtedly successful.