Pazzi Conspiracy

Daggers at Mass

Interior
Florence Cathedral

So the moment came, and the assassins struck. Francesco Pazzi suddenly stabbed Giuliano in the chest, then leaped onto the young man and stabbed him repeatedly. Others joined in. The fray was so furious that Francesco was actually badly wounded in the thigh, perhaps even by his own knife. Giulano never had a chance. He fell in the shadows near one of the doors. He'd been stabbed nineteen times.

Up near the altar, matters turned out differently. At the signal, one of the priests put a hand on Lorenzo's shoulder from behind, either to turn him or to steady himself for the blow. He struck, but Lorenzo was already starting to whirl away. The knife struck him in the neck, just below the ear, but it was not a fatal cut. Lorenzo, who was armed, drew his sword and wrapped his cloak around his other arm as a makeshift shield. He fought off his attackers, then leaped over the low railing that separated the altar from the common area, raced in front of it, toward the northern sacristy, pursued by the priests.