Girolamo Savonarola

A fiery Italian reformer whose radical sermons and brief rule over Florence challenged Renaissance decadence and the Medici dynasty.

Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498), a Dominican friar from Ferrara, ignited a moral revolution in Renaissance Florence. His sermons condemned corruption in the Catholic Church and Medici oligarchy, advocating for a ‘bonfire of the vanities’ to destroy secular art and luxuries.

After the Medici were ousted in 1494, Savonarola established a short-lived theocratic republic. He enforced strict laws against gambling, sodomy, and vanity, while promoting democratic reforms. His clash with Pope Alexander VI led to excommunication and execution, but his critique of power resonated with later reformers like Martin Luther.

Savonarola’s legacy lies in his defiance of authority. He used print media to spread ideas, foreshadowing the Reformation, and inspired works by Machiavelli. Though branded a heretic, his vision of an ethical society shaped Florentine identity long after his death.