Duke of Florence

The old Duke of Florence was the ruler of Florence and was renowned as a man of courage and virtue, doing everything in his power to prevent war and prolong peace. Unbeknownst to him, his beloved cousin, Piero de' Medici, plotted against him, hellbent on seizing control of his position for himself.

Biography
The Duke of Florence was the most important and powerful man in Florence. He was the father of Rocco de' Medici, the cousin of Piero de Medici and the second cousin of Lorenzo de Medici. He believed his son to be dead after he was said to be lost at sea after going off to venture round the world.

Piero was desperate to remove the Duke from power and become Duke himself. Piero attempts to overthrow the Duke through a series of schemes but thanks to Leonardo da Vinci and his friends, these schemes failed.

The Duke eventually is poisoned by Piero after being seriously wounded by an arrow supposedly fired by a Milanese assassin (it was actually fired by Scarpa who'd been hired by Piero). He had been on his way to visit Milan to question why they had supposedly attempted to kidnap Lorenzo de' Medici (Piero was behind this). (Dragon Hunt)

Just before Piero's coronation, the Duke's son, Rocco, turns up, becomes Duke and declares war against Milan. (Stupid Cupid)

Personality
The Duke was a good and honest man, a preserver of peace. He hated war and cared deeply for his people, so much so that he would walk the streets to talk to them, accompanied by only one bodyguard. He admired and trusted his cousin Piero de' Medici greatly, and had no idea that he was planning his assassination.