Noble Blood: "A Philosopher’s Death"

Podcast: Noble Blood (iHeartPodcasts and Grim & Mild)
Host: Dana Schwartz
Episode Release Date: February 10, 2026
Summary by Podcast Summarizer

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dana Schwartz takes listeners through the enigmatic life and mysterious death of Count Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, a brilliant Renaissance philosopher whose demise not only rocked Florence but also invited centuries of rumors and speculation. The story weaves together intellectual rivalries, political intrigue, heresy scandals, and enduring mysteries, centering on the intertwined fates of Pico, his friend Angelo Poliziano, and the powerful figures of Medici Florence across the late 1400s.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Death of Pico della Mirandola (02:53–08:05)

• Setting the Scene: The episode opens with a description of Pico's funeral in 1494, attended by the Florentine elite who remembered Pico as both dazzling and brilliant.
  • Schwartz recounts: “When he was alive, he was a dead, dazzling figure... Pico had the intellect to match his looks. He could recite Dante’s Divine Comedy backwards by heart.” (02:58)
• His Final Days: At just 31, Pico fell ill and died after two weeks of suffering. Even the King of France sent physicians.
• Conversion and Deathbed Actions: Pico, aided by his friend Savonarola, gave away his possessions and donned a Dominican habit before dying.
• Savonarola’s Eulogy: The fiery Dominican friar claimed in his sermon that Pico’s soul must pass through purgatory for unspecified sins, and that Pico had appeared to him in a dream after death. (06:45)

2. Pico’s Rise in Florence and Philosophical Circles (08:05–20:58)

• Arrival at Court: At 21, Pico arrived in Florence, already famed for his integration of Christian, Jewish, and classical philosophies.
• Intellectual Scene: He became part of Lorenzo de Medici’s circle, rubbing shoulders with Marsilio Ficino (who coined “Platonic love”), Angelo Poliziano, and others. Their Renaissance humanism contrasted with prevailing scholastic Aristotelianism.
  • Quote: “Pico didn’t want to be pinned down to any particular intellectual school. Behind the Medici crowd’s back, Pico met up with an old acquaintance, Girolamo Savonarola…” (12:30)
• Savonarola’s Dissent: Savonarola, a fierce opponent of the Platonic humanists, argued their focus on individual virtue and contemplation led Florentines away from the Church.

3. Scandals and Heresy: Pico’s Tumultuous Affairs (20:59–28:18)

• Personal Scandal: Pico’s affair with the married Margherita led to violence, arrest, and Lorenzo de Medici’s reluctant intervention.
• Intellectual Scandal: Pico sought to publish his “900 Theses”—a universal theory merging religious and occult traditions. Pope Innocent VIII denounced the work as heresy, leading to Pico’s imprisonment and diplomatic crisis between Florence, the Papacy, and France.
• Lorenzo’s Calculated Rescue: Lorenzo used his influence to free Pico but found the circle now tainted by suspicion of heresy.

4. The Medici, Savonarola, and Looming Political Collapse (28:19–37:57)

• Savonarola’s Rise: Lorenzo seeks Savonarola’s help to signal religious seriousness—but their rivalry grows bitter.
• Notable Sermon Showdown: Fra Mariano viciously attacks Savonarola in a sermon; Savonarola responds with composure, subtly blaming Lorenzo for stirring the attack—“Who made me prior, God or Lorenzo? …It is I who will remain here. And he who will depart; he will be gone long before me.” (34:53)
• Lorenzo’s Death: Ill omens and failing health mark the fall of Lorenzo, whose death ignites further instability in Florence.

5. Crisis and Conquest: Florence on the Brink (37:58–42:02)

• French Invasion: Charles VIII of France invades Italy with support from Milan’s Sforza, creating a massive crisis for Florence.
• Piero de Medici’s Capitulation: Mismanagement and cowardice by Lorenzo’s son leads to the Medici expulsion. Amid this chaos, Pico and Poliziano both fall ill and die under mysterious, similar circumstances.

6. Death, Mystery, and Centuries of Speculation (42:03–46:02)

• Savonarola’s Narratives: Savonarola casts Pico as a model repentant Christian (downplaying his earlier heresy and eccentricities), while ignoring Poliziano in sermons due to his controversial reputation.
• Rumors and Counter-Narratives: Early writers interpreted their deaths variously as divine punishment or as tragic loss for Florence’s intellectual renaissance.
• Poison Theories: In the 2000s, exhumations found high levels of arsenic and other toxins, fueling speculation of murder—possibly ordered by Piero de Medici, or by Savonarola’s fanatics. However, historical evidence remains inconclusive.
  • Schwartz notes: “Pico’s death is destined to remain shrouded in mystery.” (45:49)

7. Rumors of Love and Sexuality (47:03–50:32)

• Bisexuality and Platonic Love: Persistent rumors suggest possible romantic or sexual relationships between Pico, Poliziano, and Lorenzo de Medici, fueled by their neoclassical ideals and affectionate poetry.
  • Quote: “Poliziano wrote Pico a poem that said Pico was a hero on whom nature had lavished all the endowments both of body and mind.” (47:38)
• Florentine Culture: Florence’s 15th-century tolerance and condemnation of homosexuality, and political use of sodomy accusations, are discussed. Most historians consider explicit claims about their relations to be speculative.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Pico’s Brilliance:
  “He could recite Dante’s Divine Comedy backwards by heart.” (02:58 — Dana Schwartz)

• On Florentine Intellectual Life:
  “The Medici intellectuals sharing poetry and talking about love couldn’t have been more different from the dominant intellectual tradition in schools across Europe.” (10:17 — Dana Schwartz)

• Savonarola’s Defiance:
  “Who made me prior, God or Lorenzo?...It is I who will remain here. And he who will depart; he will be gone long before me.” (34:53 — Savonarola account, paraphrased by Schwartz)

• On Mysterious Deaths:
  “It seems that this newly discovered historical document was not so new after all...the theory that Piero de Medici had hired Cristoforo to kill Pico had been circulating in the historical record since at least 1898.” (44:12 — Dana Schwartz)

• On Enduring Mystery:
  “Pico’s death is destined to remain shrouded in mystery.” (45:49 — Quoting Italian historian Giolo Busi)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:53–08:05| Setting scene, Pico’s death, funeral, and conversion | | 08:05–20:58| Pico’s intellectual rise, friendships, and ideological divides| | 20:59–28:18| Affairs and heresy scandal, “900 Theses” debacle | | 28:19–37:57| Feud with Savonarola, Medici downfall, Lorenzo’s death | | 37:58–42:02| French invasion, Piero de Medici fails, Florence in chaos | | 42:03–46:02| The mystery of the deaths, poison theories | | 47:03–50:32| Rumors of sexuality and interpretations by later historians |

Tone and Style

Dana Schwartz’s narration is vivid, witty, and cinematic, laced with dry humor and empathy for her subjects. The episode balances scholarly analysis with the drama and scandal of its subjects’ lives, making Renaissance Florence feel both intimate and politically volatile.

Final Thoughts

This episode expertly traces the life, philosophy, and mysterious death of Pico della Mirandola, setting his personal story within the cultural, intellectual, and political upheavals at the end of the Florentine Renaissance. Schwartz shows how legend, rumor, and scholarship have continually re-imagined Pico’s death—from divine judgment to political murder—ultimately leaving the truth tantalizingly just out of reach.

Recommended for listeners interested in: Renaissance intrigue, philosophy, historical mysteries, intellectual history, and the tangled legacies of great (and flawed) minds.