On 26 April 1478, a conspiracy to assassinate the Medici brothers of Florence was set into motion. Lorenzo survived, but his brother Giuliano was stabbed nineteen times, dying alone on the cold floor of the Santa Maria del Fiore.

The plot is now known as the Pazzi Conspiracy, but it was not only the Pazzi family who were involved. For decades, historians have understood the roles played by Girolamo Riario, Francesco Salviati, and Pope Sixtus IV. In his book The Montefeltro Conspiracy, however, Marcello Simonetta draws on evidence from his own ancestor, Cicco, to uncover how the Medici’s ally, Federico da Montefeltro, also played a part.

Simonetta explores the delicate balance of power among the Italian city-states and the role the assassination of Galeazzo Sforza, Duke of Milan, played in the wider conspiracy. He also decodes an encrypted letter from Federico da Montefeltro, using Cicco’s cipher book, revealing a ruthless plan to seize Florence that puts Machiavelli to shame.

The book also casts famous artworks in a new light; for example, Simonetta reinterprets Botticelli’s Primavera, suggesting it holds a larger significance in the context of the conspiracy. Regardless of how much you already know about Renaissance Italy or the Pazzi Conspiracy, this brilliant book will change your understanding completely.