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Lorenzo de’ Medici, called the Magnificent, was the leader of the Republic of Florence during the apex of the Italian Renaissance. Originating from rather humble beginnings in the Tuscan countryside, the Medici family migrated from the Mugello region to Florence in the twelfth century. Once in Florence, family members began to amass significant riches from trade, commerce, and banking, eventually transforming their great wealth into unparalleled political power. The family’s first foray into the political life of this Tuscan republic occurred in the thirteenth century, when a member of the family first served in public office.

Between 1594 and 1598, the Florentine composers Jacopo Corsi and Jacopo Peri set Ottavio Rinuccini’s pastoral play Dafne (c. 1590) to music. Although many dramatic works in sixteenth-century Italy contained musical numbers, Dafne was the first to be entirely sung. It has earned the distinction as the first opera, if opera is taken to mean a drama whose text is sung throughout.