How did Lorenzo de’ Medici improve relations with Pope Innocent VIII?

Following the death of Pope Sixtus IV in 1484, Lorenzo de’ Medici improved relations with his successor, Pope Innocent VIII, by cultivating a close personal friendship with him.1

This alliance was solidified through strategic family ties and political maneuvering:

• Marriage Alliance: Lorenzo arranged for his daughter, Maddalena, to marry a son of Pope Innocent VIII.2
• Ecclesiastical Advancement: Through this intimacy, Lorenzo successfully secured a cardinal’s hat for his son, Giovanni, who would later become Pope Leo X.12

This shift toward a more cautious and successful foreign policy contrasted sharply with the hostility that had characterized Lorenzo's earlier relationship with the papacy under Sixtus IV, which had led to the Pazzi conspiracy and the War of the Pazzi.12