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Why did Michelangelo leave Florence after the Medici family was expelled in 1494?
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Michelangelo
An engraving of Michelangelo derived from a portrait of the artist by Jacopino del Conte after 1535.
Michelangelo left Florence in 1494 due to the political turmoil surrounding the expulsion of the Medici family. The Medici, who had been his patrons, were forced to flee the city after Piero di Lorenzo de’ Medici alienated the Florentine people by siding with the French, an act that was widely viewed as a betrayal.12
Even before the political situation fully collapsed, Michelangelo departed for Bologna. During his time there, he was hired to complete the tomb and shrine of St. Dominic, where he executed three marble figures before eventually moving on to Rome.23