#tommaso soderini

Although Tommaso’s death went virtually unrecorded by his contemporaries, he had had a remarkable career. In large part through his own abilities, he had succeeded in making himself the second citizen of Florence, and despite the repeated internal conflicts in which he had been involved, he had always managed ultimately to be on the winning side. Although he had been forced to subordinate his views and objectives to those of the Medici family, he had succeeded in generally collaborating with them in Florence’s interests. Moreover, he had been able to use Medici authority to advance his own interests, as a result leaving his family in a position of prominence which few Florentine clans could match. Although many citizens blamed Tommaso for having subverted the city’s liberty in the interests of a narrow èlite, Tommaso might console himself that he had pursued what he felt to be Florence’s interests, and that he had remained personally committed to the principles of public service and freedom of consultation throughout his life.

•Sandro Botticelli fu messo alle strette da Tommaso Soderini perché prendesse moglie. Rispose così: "Messere, io voglio dirvi cosa mi accadde una notte. Sognavo d'essermi sposato, e fu tanto il dolore che ne ebbi nel sogno, che mi svegliai, ed ebbi tanta paura di sognarlo di nuovo, che andai tutta la notte per Firenze come un pazzo, per non rischiare di riaddormentarmi". Soderini capì che quello non era un terreno da piantare a vigne.