Florence Summit, 1455-1456

Ascension of Pope Callixtus III
In early 1455, Pope Callixtus III was anointed before God, and his coronation seen as a new beginning—coinciding with the end of the most recent wave of a fifty-year plague. Among his first initiatives was something unprecedented: he extended invitations eastward and westward, requesting powerful dynasties the world over descend upon a chosen city, ostensibly to unite in peace and prosperity. Florence was chosen to host the historic event, though the reasons for this choice remain unclear; some suggest it may have been a favor for the Archbishop de Medici, or perhaps related to the pope's entanglements before his rise to the papacy.

Aragon-Córdoba conflict
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The Epiphany pageant
Held on the Januray 6th, 1456, this event was suppose to be like any other: a celebration and remembrance of the Three Kings who visited the baby Jesus. Though a sacred day for many, it is said that the presence of the non-Catholics, invited by the Medici family to witness the celebrations, inflamed the tempers of many within the crowds. Florence's masses had already grown sick of the city's elaborate, expensive festivities in whose lavish foods and wine only nobles and foreigners were allowed to partake, and this celebration proved the straw that broke the camel's back. No one knew who started the rioting, but angry crowds roamed the streets for a day and a night before being brought to heel by Florentine guards.

As the dust settled, one death stood out from the rest— Abd Al-Qadird ibn Nizam, an esteemed and much beloved ambassador from Córdoba, had been killed. Accusations and rumours spread like wildfire, setting Córdoba and Aragon at each others' throats once again. War was narrowly avoided, with the Medici successfully mediating the initial fallout and promising a formal inquiry. Other investigations were underway on behalf of the various injuries and grievances which befell nobility and royalty alike during the harrowing evening spent cowering from the crowds which occupied the streets until dawn.

Consequences and immediate effects
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