
Clarice Orsini (1450-1488) was the wife of Lorenzo de Medici, Principe of the Republic of Florence, and the mother of Pope Leo X.
Biography[]
Clarice Orsini was born in Monterotondo, Papal States to the House of Orsini, and she married Lorenzo de Medici in 1469; the marriage was unusual in Florence, as they were nearly the same age. Clarice was deeply religious, making her unpopular among the humanist people of Florence, and she was known to be used as a political tool by both the House of Medici and her own family. Her brother Rinaldo Orsini was made Archbishop of Florence, and she released family members from prison or exile, eased taxes, and followed political and military developments. She died in Florence in 1488 at the age of 38.