Florentine guards attacking Ezio Auditore da Firenze and his family, 1476
The Florentine Guard was the local militia of the Republic of Florence (1115-1532). The guard was controlled by a commission and was very politicized; from 1476 to 1478, the guard consisted of supporters of the House of Pazzi (as Gonfaloniere Uberto Alberti was a Pazzi ally), but they were replaced by loyalists of the House of Medici after the failure of the Pazzi Conspiracy in 1478. Guard members were also susceptible to corruption, as many of them would attempt to steal dropped coins to bolster their meagre salaries.