Renaissance Recipes
NEWS FLASH: “Italian scientists believe they have uncovered a 400-year-old murder. Historians have long suspected that Francesco de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and his second wife Bianca Cappello did not die of malaria but were poisoned – probably by Francesco’s brother, Cardinal Ferdinando de’ Medici, who was vying for the title.”
Under normal circumstances, the Italian Coroner’s Office would not be dealing with a case from 1587 so soon. The Office has a backlog of autopsies dating back to AD. 19. (The preliminary report on Germanicus is expected shortly; but he is definitely dead.) However, the death of Francisco de Medici did involve a malpractice suit against his physician. The doctor was being sued for using unclean leeches. His insurance company expedited the case. Four centuries of free lunches will get things done in Italy.It should be noted that Cardinal Ferdinando made a much better ruler than his conveniently late brother. Although he was a Prince of the Church, Ferdinando never took any holy orders, and so was free to marry. In any case, he was hardly the type to be bothered by legalisms and technicalities. I also wonder if arsenic shouldn’t be included in more retirement packages. The impoverished stockholders of Home Depot would have preferred rewarding that to departing CEO Robert Nardelli. It would be less expensive than $210 million and far more deserving.