Clarice Orsini (1453 – 30 July 1488) was the daughter of Jacopo Orsini, and Maddalena Orsini; both from the Orsini family, a great Roman noble house, and was the wife of Lorenzo de' Medici.
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Life
Clarice and Lorenzo married 4 June 1469, with a four-day celebration. The marriage was arranged by Lorenzo's mother Lucrezia Tornabuoni, who wanted her eldest son to marry a woman from a noble family to enhance the social status of the Medicis. Clarice's dowry was 6,000 florins. Their marriage was unusual for aristocrats in Florence at the time in that they were nearly the same age. However, the marriage connected the wealthy Florentine Medici banking family with the powerful Roman Orsini aristocracy. Lorenzo and Clarice represented the way marriage could unite wealth, aristocratic status and political influence during the Renaissance. Their union also helped strengthen the Medici dynasty for future generations.
The political nature of her marriage meant that she was often called upon by each side of her family to influence the other. This included Lorenzo helping her brother Rinaldo get selected as Archbishop of Florence. In addition, she was often called by the public to support their requests to her husband. These included easing taxes and releasing members from exile or prison. She also utilized her network to gather information about political and military events away from where she was, such as troop movements and battles.
Clarice's religious upbringing was different from the humanist ideals popular in Florence at the time. Despite this difference, sources and letters indicate that there was affection between her and her husband.