Girolamo Savonarola

  Girolamo Savonarola, was born in Ferrara, Italy, September 21st 1452. Initially, his family were rather well-off with his grandfather Michele Savonarola being an esteemed Professor of Medicine at the University of Padua as well as being a court physician. Though post the death of Michele, Girolamo’s father failed to sustain the financial comfortability that had supported the Savonarola household through Michele’s wealth. Girolamo was the third of seven children and from an early age it became readily apparent that he was a keen intellectual, supposedly driven by the success of his grandfather. During his adolescence he developed an interest in classics (most notably Latin) and studied the works of countless Latin scholars. Some historians believe that Savonarola’s radical front on Christianity stems from the religious views of his grandfather who also publicly detested the ways in which Christianity was being imposed in Florence.

Interestingly, though the later Savonarola would pursue a path of religion/politics, he chose to study medicine at university following in the footsteps of his grandfather. Alongside this he studied the liberal arts. Though he failed to develop a core interest in these fields and made the decision to shift towards his real interest which was religion itself. It is important to note that Florence at this time was being governed by the de facto leadership of the House of Medici. Savonarola was horrified by Medici rule. The rise of the Medici saw the revival, the Renaissance of Ancient Greek and Roman cultures, though alongside this, this brought change to the traditional Catholic Church. He believed the clergy had dramatically shifted away from basic Christian morals and had allowed bribery and patronage from the Medici to dominate the Church and co-ordinate its actions. 

Fuelled by his new drive to studying Christianity, he left the house of his father April 24th, 1475 and set out to Bologna and joined the Dominician Order, becoming a friar. He would send letters to his father explaining his departure. The latter of his letters were in fact rather brutal and explained his aims.

“The Prince of princes, he who is infinite power, calls me with a loud voice – more, he begs me (oh vast love) with a thousand tears (as on the Cross) to gird on a sword of the finest gold and precious stones, because he wants me in the ranks of his militant Knights” – an extract from Lauro Martines’ “Scourge and Fire Savonarola and Renaissance Italy”

From this we can identify that Savonarola felt directly summoned by God. He valued himself as a prophet, a knight of Christ and believed he has a sense of fulfilment to reform the Catholic Church and to allow it to retrogress back to its traditional, fundamentalist ways. He was against art, music, humour, sex, the present clergy at the time. His very opposite views allowed for people to view him as a heretic.

In 1482, the Dominican friar was sent to San Marco, Florence to preach sermons to the local populace. However, he was rather unsuccessful with his sermons in which he preached about the apocalypse. However, in the late 1480s, his profile grew in San Gimignano. He put forward that the Catholic Church needed heavy reform in order for it to maintain its overruling power. In doing so, he concluded that the church would need to be scourged followed by a renewal of its system.

Alongside this, Savonarola became seen as the primary opposer to the Medici rule and would preach about the failures and corruption of the Medici oligarchy. He viewed the government of Lorenzo the Magnificent, the so-called “Father of the Italian Renaissance” as a benevolent tyranny who only promoted  the exploitation of the Church. He was actually surprisingly sent back to Florence by Lorenzo, a massive error on his part as it only allowed the Dominican friar to extend his criticism of the Medici rule to within Florence itself in the early 1490s. As a way of suppressing Savonarola’s dangerous criticisms Lorenzo tried and failed at bribing the friar to discontinue with his actions. Though this is altogether a rather stupid action given that Savonarola himself had always been wholeheartedly against what Lorenzo was actually trying to give him. What is also rather odd is that Lorenzo, at his deathbed, called Savonarola of all Christian priests to ask for absolution. Legend has it that Savonarola actually refused to give Lorenzo de’ Medici absolution but it has been identified that he most likely did in fact grant him his blessing. Savonarola had actually predicted Lorenzo’s death years before.

1494 saw the invasion of Italy by King Charles VIII of France. Piero de’ Medici, the successor to Lorenzo the Magnificent faced hatred from the Florentine populace as he succumbed to the French King and handed over seven key fortresses. This resulted in the expulsion of the Medici family and an 18 year drought of Medici rule in Florence. Savonarola viewed King Charles as a godsend and as the man sent from God to be the scourger of Florence. The fleeing of the Medici and the departure of King Charles was the catalyst for Savonarola’s rule over Florence

He set up a democratic government based on his ideals of a city that owed its allegiance to God Himself. He imposed a system that revolved over his ideal of Christianity. He proceeded with his sermons and alongside this he set up his own police force which would monitor the streets of Florence and aid the maintenance of a city which flourished on Savonarola’s strict view on morality. Though alongside this, Savonarola faced opposition. Pope Alexander VI was opposed to Savonarola’s rule. In fact Savonarola, though he respected the papacy, viewed the Pope as a key example of how corrupt the Church had become. The Pope was by no means the greatest or most ideal religious figure. He himself had several children, already opposing the beliefs of Savonarola that people should remain sexually pure to maintain their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. He also faced opposition from a group known as the Arrabiati who were in league with the Pope and the Duke of Milan. This created a powerful political opposition to Savonarola’s rule of Florence. 

In fact, the Pope summoned Savonarola to preach to him his sermons but Savonarola declined stating that he was simply ill. February 7th 1497 Savonarola called for a “Bonfire of the Vanities” in which citizens of Florence threw objects that would tempt them to sin into a great fire. Jewellery, clothes, mirrors were all burned. It is even considered that the artist Boticelli through his own works into the fire as to redeem himself from his sons. The Pope banned Savonarola from preaching and May 12th, 1947 the Pope excommunicated Savonarola.

Savonarola regained his influence in Florence but soon faced opposition from Fra Domenico da Pescia, a Franciscan who challenged Savonarola to ordeal by fire. This ordeal by fire was a way of proving the supernatural capabilities claimed by both Fras. This was heavily encouraged by the citizens of Florence, however much to their anger the ordeal never took place due to the ill-arrival of the Franciscan Fra. Because no supernatural proof was presented, both Fras were tortured until pleading guilty to lying that they could perform supernatural powers. Savanorala was accused of heresy at an ecclesiastical trial and was to be put to death by hanging along with Fra Domenico and Fra Silvestro. He was burnt during his execution and was hurled with insults throughout with citizens shouting at him to save himself if he truly was a knight of Christ. This bears some resemblance to the crucifixion of Christ, though unfortunately Savonarola failed to deliver the wishes of the masses. He died May 23rd, 1498.