Giovanni Auditore da Firenze (3 May 1436 – 29 December 1476) was a Florentine noble, banker, adviser, and a member of the Assassin Order. He was the father of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, the famed assassin, and the brother of the condottiero Mario Auditore. In 1476, he was executed for treason after Gonfaloniere Uberto Alberti (with the help of Rodrigo Borgia and the House of Pazzi) fabricated charges against him.
Biography[]
Auditore in 1476
Auditore was one of the pivotal figures in 15th century Florentine banking. In charge of overseeing the Medici bank branches across Italy, he kept the Medici machine running while Lorenzo de Medici was busy with the government. Extending his reach out into the international operation, it was Giovanni who first noticed the problems with the Lyon bank, causing him to alert Francesco Sassetti, which saved the branch.
Such great talent was well rewarded by Il Magnifico. Giovanni developed a close friendship with Lorenzo de Medici, becoming one of his closest advisers. Successful negotiations to secure the Pope's support of the Medici bank in 1471 were carried out by Giovanni. Relieved and grateful, Lorenzo paid for Giovanni's palazzo, as a gift.
Death[]
The execution of the Auditore family.
In 1476, when Francesco de Pazzi was put in jail for murder, Auditore developed a rivalry with the Pazzis, as he had evidence that could prove Francesco wrong. One night, he was thrown in jail by armed guards sent by his former friend, Gonfaloniere Uberto Alberti, who had betrayed him because he was a member of the Hashshashin; Alberti was secretly a member of the Templar Order and an ally of the Pazzi. Auditore was sentenced to death with his sons Federico and Petruccio, and they were publicly hanged; his second son Ezio Auditore da Firenze was not captured, and he would live to avenge his family by killing many of the conspirators.