Ercole, who was the eldest of five children early left orphans, began his education at the Piarist college at Urbino.
While Piero found refuge at Venice and Urbino, Cardinal Giovanni travelled in Germany, in the Netherlands and in France.
The year which marked the close of the Lateran council was also signalized by Leo's unholy war against the duke of Urbino.
He had named them Roman patricians; the latter he had placed in charge of Florence; the former, for whom he planned to carve out a kingdom in central Italy of Parma, Piacenza, Ferrara and Urbino, he had taken with himself to Rome and married to Filiberta of Savoy.
The new duke of Urbino was the Lorenzo de' Medici to whom Machiavelli addressed The Prince.
