Death in Florence: the Medici, Savonarola and the Battle for the Soul of the Renaissance City

by Paul Strathern

  and Lorenzo’s funeral, 130

  sends envoys to French court, 172

  regarded as blameless for the break with France, 173

  Piero de’ Medici despatches letter to, 186

  summons Council of Seventy, 189

  backs proposal to send delegation to Charles VIII, 190

  and Piero’s return to Florence, 191–2

  decree forbidding aiding of Piero, 193

  announcement of rewards for death of Piero and Giovanni, 196

  seizure of Medici property, 198

  leaderless, 201

  some citizens pledge support for, 203

  and Charles VIII, 204, 205, 206, 207

  and discussions about formation of new government, 212, 215

  Council of Twenty claims right to appoint, 216

  elected by the Twenty, 217

  and Savonarola’s sermon on 29 July 1495, 222, 223

  and building of Great Hall, 231–2

  difficulties caused by short period in office, 232

  hires mercenary army to retake Pisa, 234

  concerns about Savonarola’s sermons, 251

  and the plague, 253

  Savonarola invited to deliver sermon by, 254

  bans all sermons, 274–5

  elections of May 1497, 275–6

  and da Camerino, 276, 277

  allows palio of Santa Barbara to take place, 278–9

  and dell’ Antella, 280, 281

  and alleged traitors, 281, 282, 283–4

  attendance at San Marco, 291

  predicament following Savonarola’s excommunication, 292

  Bonsi’s despatch to, 294, 295

  commands Savonarola to cease preaching, 297

  divisions within, 298

  ultimatum from the Vatican, 300

  and the ordeal by fire episode, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 314–15, 316, 320, 321

  and siege of San Marco, 325, 329

  Savonarola and Fra Domenico appear before, 330

  and Savonarola’s trial, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 338, 339, 340, 341, 342, 343

  Fra Silvestro Maruffi taken into custody of, 332

  does not comply with Alexander VI’s request to send Savonarola to Rome, 335

  calls Pratica to discuss Alexander VI’s request, 347–8

  Alexander VI is informed of proposed course of action of, 348

  Alexander VI agrees to proposal of, 349

  summons Pratica to discuss Savonarola’s sentence, 355

  Savonarola informed of death sentence by officials from, 359

  allows meeting between the three friars, 360

  tribunal on day of the execution, 363

  action taken to prevent gathering of relics, 366

  brief references, 29, 115, 175, 180, 265, 266, 288, 324

  Silk Road, 66

  Silvestro, Fra (junior friar), 324

  Silvestro Maruffi, Fra see Maruffi, Fra Silvestro

  Sinibaldi, Fra Giovanni, 148, 149

  Sistine Chapel, Rome, 6, 54, 60

  Sixtus IV, Pope, 27–8, 32, 34, 36, 37, 49, 50, 51, 57, 58, 59–60, 63, 74

  Socrates, 14, 80

  Soderini, Paolantonio, 113, 115, 138, 139, 140, 217, 298, 322

  Soderini, Tommaso, 298

  Soderini family, 20, 22, 23, 130 see also names of individuals

  sodomy, 246–7

  Solana, 256

  Sorbonne, 82, 83

  Spain, 11, 29, 66, 132, 140, 219, 300, 304

  Spini, Doffo, 298, 316, 332, 333, 356

  Staggia, 270 and n

  stanghetta (Spanish Boot or Iron Boot), 343 and n

  strappado, 281, 282, 332n, 333–4, 336, 340, 353–4, 355

  Strozzi, Carlo, 283–4

  Strozzi, Laodamia, 43–4, 48

  Strozzi, Roberto, 44

  Strozzi family, 13, 20, 43, 44, 49 see also names of individuals

  Studium generale, Bologna, 49, 74, 94

  Sword of Charlemagne, 220, 221

  Ticino, Lazaro da, 2

  Tiepidi, 231, 279, 296n, 303

  Tolfa alum mines, 15–16, 28, 29, 32

  Tornabuoni, Giovan Francesco, 202

  Tornabuoni, Giovanni, 17, 18, 76 and n, 139

  Tornabuoni, Girolamo, 202

  Tornabuoni, Lorenzo, 281–6

  Tornabuoni, Lucrezia see Medici (née Tornabuoni), Lucrezia de’

  Tornabuoni family, 12, 285 see also names of individuals

  Torriani, Giovacchino, 349, 356

  torture, 281, 332 and n, 333–4, 334–5 and n, 336, 343 and n, 344, 353–4, 355

  Turkey, Sultan of, 4

  Turks see Ottoman Turks/Ottoman Empire

  Tuscan Congregation, 153, 154, 155, 158, 159, 160, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 171, 239, 240, 242, 250, 349, 355

  Tuscan delegation, 155–6, 158

  Tuscan dialect, 14, 136

  Tuscany, 164, 184, 185, 190, 211 see also names of places

  Twenty, the (Council of Twenty), 212, 213, 214, 216–17

  Ubaldini, Fra Roberto, 149, 155–6, 162

  Ughi, Fra Mariano, 308, 322–3

  Urbino, 34

  Federico, Duke of, 58

  Valori, Filippo, 156

  Valori, Francesco, 113, 115, 138, 216, 267–8, 284, 322, 324, 326, 327

  Valori family, 130 see also names of individuals

  Vasari, Giorgio, 147, 182–3, 236, 368

  Vatican, 79, 88, 110, 157, 159, 218, 219, 239, 264, 300

  Vecchia, Giovanni della, 316, 329

  Venice

  and alum trade, 16, 29

  currency, 17

  conspirators against Piero the Gouty gather in, 23

  support for Ercole d’Este, 44, 51

  switches allegiance from Ferrara to the papacy, 51

  at war with Ferrrara, 53, 57, 58

  persuaded to withdraw and enter peace negotiations, 58

  peace terms agreed, 59

  branch of Medici bank closed, 77–8

  remains Milan’s traditional enemy, 168

  Holy League signed in, 220

  Pisa supported by, 255

  fleet blockades Livorno, 257

  and divisions among the allies, 258

  brief references, 2, 15, 65, 132, 155, 172

  Vespucci, Guidantonio, 113, 115, 216, 282, 283, 284

  Vespucci, Simonetta, 31

  Vespucci family, 130 see also names of individuals

  Villari, Pasquale, 113–14, 134, 142, 202–3, 214–15, 294n, 301, 319–20, 340, 344, 361, 362

  Vincenti, Silvano, 210

  Violi, Lorenzo, 294n

  Virgin Mary, 227, 228, 257

  Volterra, 28–9, 34, 35

  Wars of the Roses, 20

  West Africa, 78

  Wordsworth, William, 249

  Zati, Niccolò, 284

  Zoroastrianism, 69

  1. Contemporary portrait of Savonarola by his friend Fra Bartolomeo

  2a. Portrait bust of Lorenzo de’ Medici, probably after a contemporary model, suggesting his powerful and charismatic character

  2b. Portrait of Lorenzo de’ Medici’s eldest son, Piero (known as ‘Piero the Unfortunate’), who succeeded his father as ruler of Florence

  3. A view of early Renaissance Florence, looking eastwards up the Arno Valley.

  The prominent domed building in the centre of the picture is Florence Cathedral (the Duomo). To the right of this can be distinguished the Palazzo della Signoria, the tip of whose tower can be seen against the distant city wall.

  4a. Rodrigo Borgia, who became Pope Alexander VI

  4b. Charles VIII, the young king of France

  5a. The philosopher Pico della Mirandola

  5b. The poet Angelo Poliziano

  5c. A somewhat flattering portrait of the Platonist and translator Marsilio Ficino

  6a. Savonarola preaching

  6b. Self-portrait of Sandro Botticelli in his prime

  7. The Birth of Venus by Botticelli

  8. One of Botticelli’s late tro
ubled images of Dante’s Inferno

  Acknowledgements

  MY THANKS TO Ellah Alfrey, formerly at Jonathan Cape, who commissioned this work. Also to Alex Bowler, who is my present editor at Jonathan Cape and has proved invaluable in his help, as well as being meticulous in his suggestions, guidance and general editing of this work. His advice has improved this book no end. The copy-editing of Mandy Greenfield was painstaking in the extreme, and proved a major contribution.

  I would also like to thank the staff I encountered at the various libraries and institutions in Britain and Italy where I did my research for this work, all of whom (with two notable exceptions) were not only courteous and considerate but also extremely helpful with their advice. As ever, the staff in the Humanities 2 Reading Room at the British Library were exceptional.

  Once again, I must also thank my agent Julian Alexander, who did so much to get this project off the ground, and has continued over so many years to be both a helpful and reassuring friend. Thanks also to Richard Foreman for great company and ever-encouraging publicity.

  This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorised distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

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  Copyright © Paul Strathern 2011

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