Rinaldo degli Albizzi

Rinaldo degli Albizzi is a character from the TV series Medici: Master of Florence and the main antagonist of the first season.

He is a noble and a member of the Signoria of Florence, and his family is one of the richest and most powerful of the town. He is married with Alessandrina and has got a son, Ormanno.

Together with Andrea de' Pazzi, he conspires to take control of Florence and send in ruin the Medici family, for revenge against Cosimo de' Medici and his father Giovanni.

He is portrayed by Lex Shrapnel.

History
Rinaldo is the son of Maso degli Albizzi, head of a family of rich merchants and rival of Giovanni de' Medici. During a football match, Rinaldo and Cosimo de' Medici, Giovanni's son, become good friends. Giovanni exploits this friendship to take from Cosimo information for removing Maso degli Albizzi from the Signoria, and consolidate his power on Florence. Unaware of all this Cosimo reveals to his father that a merchant ship of the Albizzis had sunk, sending the family in bankruptcy. Maso is removed from the Signoria and Rinaldo begins to hate the Medici family, expecially Cosimo for having betrayed him.

Twenty years later, Rinaldo is a member of the Signoria, together with Giovanni. When Giovanni dies, his seat in the Signoria is taken, after the vote, by Cosimo. Rinaldo accuses Cosimo of corruption and usury, and starts to plot with Andrea de' Pazzi - whose bank is the rival of Medicis' - to put him off of the Florence government. When Cosimo finances Filippo Brunelleschi to build the dome of the Cathedral, Rinaldo accuses him of blasphemy and of using God's name to reinforce his power in the town, as an attempt to put the common people against Cosimo. When Florence is hit by the Black Plague, Rinaldo states that that was God's punishment for Cosimo's crimes.

Cosimo is senteced to death for usury and corruption but thanks to Contessina's (Cosimo's wife) intercession he is only sent in exile in Venice. After this, Rinaldo feels his position in danger, fearing of Cosimo's plans to come back in Florence. Rinaldo urges Andrea de' Pazzi to take power with violence, but this one has just betrayed him and their conversation is heard by the Gonfaloniere of Justice Bernardo Guadagni, who arrests Rinaldo.

The accusations against Cosimo fall, so he can come back to Florence, while Rinaldo is sentenced to death for conspiracy. Thanks to Cosimo's mercy, the death sentence is commuted, after the vote, in exile. Instead of thanking Cosimo for this, Rinaldo, in a private conversation with him, falsely accuses himself of Giovanni de' Medici's murder, only to hurt Cosimo's pride.

Rinaldo leaves Florence with his son Ormanno, but during the way they're both killed by an army of mercenaries, probably payed by Cosimo.