The Albizzi family was a Florentine

Florence

Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....

 family originally based in Arezzo

Arezzo

Arezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....

, who were rivals of the Medici

Medici

The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...

 and Alberti

Alberti (surname)

Alberti is a common surname in Italian language and derives from given name Alberto, Latin translation of Germanic Albert.Alberti may refer to:-People:*Alberti, Florentine family.*Leon Battista Alberti ; Italian polymath, active in many fields...

 families. They were at the centre of Florentine oligarchy from 1382, in the reaction that followed the Ciompi revolt

Ciompi

The Revolt of the Ciompi was a popular revolt in late medieval Florence by wool carders known as ciompi , who rose up in 1378 to demand a voice in the commune's ordering....

, to the rise of the Medici in 1434. The most infamous and influential members of the family were Maso and his son Rinaldo degli Albizzi

Rinaldo degli Albizzi

Rinaldo degli Albizzi was an Italian nobleman, a member of the Florentine family of the Albizzi. Together with Palla Strozzi, he was the main opponent of Cosimo de' Medici's rise in Florence....

 (1370–1442) who countered the rise of Cosimo de' Medici

Cosimo de' Medici

Còsimo di Giovanni degli Mèdici was the first of the Medici political dynasty, de facto rulers of Florence during much of the Italian Renaissance; also known as "Cosimo 'the Elder'" and "Cosimo Pater Patriae" .-Biography:Born in Florence, Cosimo inherited both his wealth and his expertise in...

, exiling him in 1433. Luca, another son of Maso was head of the Florentine galley

Galley slave

A galley slave was a slave rowing in a galley. The expression has two distinct meanings: it can refer either to a convicted criminal sentenced to work at the oar , or to a kind of human chattel, often a prisoner of war, assigned to his duty of rowing.-Antiquity:Contrary to the popular image of the...

s; his diary is an importance source for historians. Luca was a loyal friend to Cosimo de' Medici. As a result, Luca was permitted to stay in Florence when the rest of his clan, including his brother, were exiled under the Medici regime in 1434. Moreover, in 1442, Luca Albizzi actually became the Gonfalonier of Justice and stayed a key ally of Cosimo during this time.

The family palazzo

Palazzo

Palazzo, an Italian word meaning a large building , may refer to:-Buildings:*Palazzo, an Italian type of building**Palazzo style architecture, imitative of Italian palazzi...

in Borgo degli Albizzi, was rebuilt at the return of the family in the early 16th century.