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A page of Florentine History: The Fire of Savonarola
Florence Newspaper publishes this excellent essay written by Mairi Renwick on the Fire of Savonarola. Mairi has studied History of Florence at the Richmond University with Professor Fabrizio Ricciardelli in the spring semester of 2007.
During the 1400’s, Florence was undoubtedly the place to be. Artists saw Florence as a place to receive commissions and become known. For merchants, Florence was perfect. While never technically in power, the Medici ran the city from behind the scenes. Not only was commerce thriving in Florence, but the Medici allowed for all lifestyles to exist in the city. For instance, prostitutes, male and female, received their own road to hold their businesses, and sodomy was an acceptable practice for men until they married.
This liberal lifestyle drew people from all over into the city, but not every person enjoyed the scandalous lifestyle the Florentines lived. While Italy was a catholic society and lives usually revolved around the church, Florence’s actions were clearly unchristian. One particular friar witnessed the immoral lifestyles of the Florentines and chose to speak out for a new government with Christian values.
This friar was Girolamo Savonarola. Savonarola felt that the behavior of the Florentines was immoral, unchristian, and eventually lead to damnation. Even though Girolamo Savonarola aggressively attempted to change he life of Florentines, his attempts were essentially futile and unsuccessful.
Savonarola, born in 1452, grew up in Ferarra, Italy where his grandfather worked as a doctor for the ruling family, the Este. Savonarola saw how some of the wealthiest families of the area lived and certainly knew what a privileged lifestyle held. While Savonarola’s family was not as wealthy as others in Ferarra, Savonarola received the opportunity to go to university, study the liberal arts, and even some medicine by the age of 20. He, also, began to show a passion in clerical work and developed a concern for the morality of the lives throughout all of Italy. While why Savonarola’s strong views on religion developed may not be clear, one might claim that his childhood undoubtedly influenced him.
Savonarola’s grandfather always abhorred the behavior of the Este family. As a religious man, his grandfather saw the sensual, sexual behavior the family possessed as going against Christian values. Savonarola probably agreed and believed not only was the Este family in violation of Christian morals, but most of the world was taken in with material and physical pleasures. Even the papacy practiced simony by taking money from men and in return made them clergy . In the eyes of Savonarola, the world was not holy but one of blasphemy.
As a result, Savonarola took it upon himself to become a friar of the Dominican order and spread the word of God. In 1482, he was sent to the Dominican church in Florence, San Marco. He was later relocated else where, but sent back to Florence in 1490. Then, Savonarola began to preach ruthlessly against the Florentine lifestyle. Girolamo Savonarola stood in the pulpit of San Marco and preached that the Antichrist would arrive soon and disaster was on the verge. Florence was not the only place which Savonarola believed would feel the wrath of the Antichrist, but all of Italy was immoral. He believed that unless the Italians heeded his sermons and did penitence, a horrible end would come for all.
While Savonarola did not preach specifically against the Medici rule, he clearly condemned Medici rules of prostitution and sodomy. Lorenzo de Medici actually protected Savonarola, and some believe it was Savonarola who heard Lorenzo say his last confessions before dying which explains why Savonarola never directly attacked Lorenzo.
Savonarola’s preaching greatly scared many of the Florentines who did not wish to be sent to hell as Savonarola preached they would. As a result, a following began to help preach Savonarola’s message, particularly women and children. Savonarola created organizations for the children where they would sing and also received some education. Women were also organized into groups to sing.
These organizations were significant because Savonarola gave the second class citizens opportunities to participate in church activities; where as, beforehand they were not allowed. Women and children were not the only followers of Savonarola. Furthermore, the groups of children proved to be beneficial to Savonarola’s movement.
Not only did their behavior and attitudes become more Christian with their prayers seeking forgiveness from God, but they participated in destroying vanities and condemned the prostitutes on the street. Men, too, began to follow Savonarola and even the educated men believed that Savonarola’s prophesies of damnation were true. Eventually, the followers received the name Piagnoni which meant the wailers because they wailed about the immorality of Florence.
One of the main focuses of Savonarola and the Piagnoni was the vanity of the Florence. Savonarola felt that many of the beautiful, religious paintings done by artist like Michelangelo and Botticelli did not focus the message of God, but rather the looks of the characters.
Additionally, Savonarola and the Piagnoni felt that the rich citizens had too many unnecessary paintings, mirrors, books, playing cards, dolls, and many other items which they considered vanities. The Savonarolans went door to door to collect such items and brought them all to the Piazza della Signoria to be burned.
These actions were called the “Burning of the Vanities.” One can easily see why Savonarola felt that the bonfire was necessary. The vanities one possessed meant that one focused on themselves. Also, gambling and playing cards appeared to be blasphemous to God. Many beautiful paintings and important literature were lost because of the Savonarola’s feeling that they were immoral. Yet, many people still chose to follow him.
The Piagoni and others in Florence felt that Savonarola could rule Florence well, and the Medici was a hindrance to the Christian faith. Amazingly, the opportunity arose in 1494 when Piero de Medici, Lorenzo de Medici’s son, angered the Florentines. The French entered Italy in order to conquer certain areas they felt they were entitled to. Piero de Medici took it upon him self to talk to the French without the consent of the Florence government, the Signoria. Not only was the government furious that he left without their permission, but Piero also consented for the French army to march threw Florence and allowed them to use all of the Florence towers, including Pisa. Clearly, Peiro de Medici’s decision was not taken well by the Florentine citizens. As a result, the Medici family was exiled from Florence, and their palace sacked.
The Florentines then asked Savonarola to talk to the French and to try and convince them not to take their towers. This was unsuccessful, but the Florentines put their faith in Savonarola when dealing with foreign policy, meaning they looked at Savonarola not just as a simple friar but as a political leader. Savonarola, then, swung his plans into motion. He had a specific model which he wished to follow which consisted of a democratic and two tier government which dealt with city problems. Savonarola, also, wished to reform the administration and penal code so that they were based solely on Christian morals and traditions.
He was not the only one with ideas for the government. At least five different drafts of a new constitution, all with a new council, allowing more families to participate in government, were submitted and reviewed by the old Signori. The government created had one huge council which any man could join. Florentine men became candidates for office who never were eligible before the Medici fall. Additionally, men whose families were in the government for years were still eligible. All together around 3,500 men had the possibility to hold an office. The council was called the Great or Grand Council.
By 1495, every citizen who qualified was able to attend all meetings and vote in all legislation matters and elections. Though numbers of the first years of the Council do not exist, a roster of members from 1496 has 3, 452 members listed. With the help of Savonarola’s persistence on creating a new government which differed dramatically from the Medici’s tyrannical rule, a new oligarchy government was indeed produced. Additionally, Savonarola supported the addition to Palazzo Signoria which enabled such large groups to convene.
The Florentine Republic received an opportunity to participate in government in a different manner which was truly democratic. The threat of another family taking over the government affected many of the Florentines, and a Great Council of an assortment of men seemed to prohibit such a tyranny to happen again.
While Savonarola was never truly a part of the government, he clearly had sway over the members. When Savonarola ordered the stoning and burning of sodomites, the council changed the punishment for convicted sodomites from a simple, small fines to death. However, the hunt for sodomites was not successful and only produced gangs of boys who taunted the religious Savonarola.
Yet, sodomy was outlawed through unusually fast legislation with an overwhelming majority in December 1494. While the majority vote was not as profound, the Great Council, also, outlawed gambling on February 1, 1497. However, when Savonarola tried to make more dramatic changes in Florence, the Council did not comply.
For instance, Savonarola proposed that women participate in the government. He felt that women were able to have political opinion and should meet in councils to discuss situations that were pertinent to them. For the Florentine men, this proposal was entirely too much. Women were second class citizens who were minimally educated and supposed to stay at the house, taking care of the children. Another law which Savonarola wished to have passed was the expulsion of Jews from the city. This law passed in 1495, but mostly due to other voices like the clergyman, Marco di Matteo Strozzi who saw Jews as the enemies of Christ and whose family was still influential. However by 1496, the law was rebuked. This atrocious law showed the power of the clergy in general. Essentially, the Catholic Church decided to the lives of the Jewish community at this time.
Unsurprisingly, Savonarola angered many people who felt that their lifestyles were not immoral and did not appreciate the friar telling them they were going to hell. One powerful person who felt that Savonarola’s message should be silence was the pope, Alexander VI. One reason that Alexander VI passionately disliked Savonarola was because Savonarola preached against many of the pope’s actions.
The Pope had many illegitimate children who were often married off well and became lords and many women on the side. One of his sons even married to a daughter of Lorenzo de Medici. Clearly, the children of the pope did not suffer. He sold indulgences and essentially bought his way into the papacy. Clearly, Pope Alexander VI was not a religious man, but rather the exact type of person Savonarola saw as immoral. While the pope felt that Savonarola was nothing to truly worry about, other enemies felt that he was a problem. Knowing the pope’s obvious power over the church, many of the enemies pleaded to the pope to do something to stop Savonarola from preaching. Therefore, the pope began to attack Savonarola.
In July, 1495, the pope wrote to Girolamo Savonarola and asked to see his future telling abilities, referring to Savonarola’s claims that the end was near and the Antichrist was coming. Soon after the pope silenced the friar, but strangely enough allowed his writings still to the published, allowing Savonarola’s message of the Lord to still spread. Eventually, Pope Alexander excommunicated in June of 1947. The rejection of Savonarola from the church showed a growing, powerful, and more popular movement against the friar.
By May 1947, an opposition to Savonarola’s followers developed, the compagnacci who disturbed Savonarola’s Ascension Day sermon and were connected to the Medici and other powerful, noble families throughout the city. Five of the members were put to death without the right to appeal; ironically, Savonarola fought for the right to appeal but refused to support the compagnacci’s ability to appeal. While the opposition grew, the support for Savonarola remained. In fact many members of the Signoria defended Savonarola against the pope and compagnacci.
Even if the Signoria defended Savonarola, the opposition was too powerful. As the copagnacci grew in power, the Signoria became influenced by many of their opinions, concerning Savonarola. The tide quickly turned against Savonarola. On April 1948, the opponents of the friar decided the voices which claimed that damnation was near need to be stopped. On Palm Sunday, the opponents marched toward San Marco shouting ‘To San Marco!’ That day a follower of Savonarola, Mariano Ughi, preached that day. While the men and women of San Marco walked to the cathedral for worship, the opponents who were boys of lower status began to throw stones at them. Additionally, their clothes were pulled, faces spat in, and repeatedly shouted at for following Savonarola.
On April 8, the opponents occupied San Marco. Before they reached the church, the mob killed a prominent follower of Savonarola, Francesco Valori in his home. The mob also killed his wife. Afterwards, the angry mob almost received the opportunity to march into San Marco the friar and his followers, but the Signoria interrupted the mob; instead of being immediately killed, Savonarola and two of his most loyal companions were arrested.
Savonarola was eventually tortured by a committee who tried to get the friar to confess to lying about his prophesies. While being tortured, Savonarola apparently confessed to being a heretic of the church which amazed his followers. As a result, many of his followers stopped, supporting him, during the trials. Savonarola now developed more enemies .
On May 23, Savonarola along with his two companions, Domenico da Pescia and Siversto Maruffi were hanged and burned. They burned at the stake in the same location where Savonarola burned the vanities of the Florentines. Today, a plaque in Piazza Signoria commemorates where he was burned.
A Dominican friar had come close to taking over the Florence Republic. His actions to try and make the city moral and abide by Christian traditions heavily influenced the city. The city changed drastically from the liberal Medici policies to the strict religious beliefs, changing many citizens too. While some of the Florentine citizens believed that Girolamo Savonarola’s prophesies of damnation were to be heeded, others strongly resisted the friar’s preaching. The simple friar from Ferrara developed controversy throughout the city and divided families and friends. The impact of Savonarola was clear when the adamant hate against him led to a mob to arrest the friar and eventually kill him.
Additionally, his plaque in the Piazza signifies the importance he played in society. He clearly was not an unimportant church leader who only wished from change. Savonarola did influence the society. However, his actions did not last. The children he rescued became violent and gambling became popular again. Furthermore, sodomy characterized Florence for many foreigners, and no one had the power to eliminate the practice. Girolamo Savonarola tried viciously for a reformed government and while he did impact the society and the history of Florence, his attempts ultimately failed.
Works Cited
Francesco Adorno. The World of Renaissance Florence, Florence: Giunti, 1999.
Lauro Martines. Fire in the City: Savonarola and the Struggle for the Sould of
Renaissance Florence. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
John M. Najemy. A History of Florence 1200-1575. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2006.
Polizzotto, Lorenzo, The Elect Nation: The Savonarolan Movement in Florence 1494-
1545. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994.
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