Within the walls of the Palazzo Medici, the ruler of Florence, Piero de’ Medici, otherwise known as Piero the Unfortunate (the son of Lorenzo the Magnificent), had capitulated to King Charles VIII’s demands as the invading French had entered Tuscany, leaving Florence in disarray. A weak and incapable Piero, who lacked the leadership his father had shown, abandoned the city. In protest, the populous of Florence revolted against the Medici family who fled into exile. Florence was once again a Republic.
Savonarola, the Dominican monk whose fiery preaching and penchant for stirring up the populous had plagued the final years of the reign of Lorenzo the Magnificent, now believed he was free to usher in an era of religious repression. However, not all in Florence had fallen under the sway of th
