Giralamo Savonarola and the Development of the Renaissance in Florence

THESIS STATEMENT The moral fanatic and religious fundamentalist, Giralamo Savonarola, inhibited the development of the Renaissance in Florence and brought the city back into the Middle Ages. PURPOSE STATEMENT Through scholarly research of Florentine politics and daily life during the rule of the Medici, it is affirmed that Giralamo Savonarola used religion and fear to inhibit the progression of the Renaissance in Florence. INTRODUCTION Religion provides hope for those who are hopeless. It aims to welcome those who are alienated and feel that their life has no purpose. Religion served the same function in the Middle Ages and Renaissance as it does today. However, religion was embraced more during the Middle Ages by desperate individuals frantically searching for calm and stability in their lives. Religion provided hope for these bleak individuals who lovingly and unquestioningly embraced religion and the church’s teachings. The church controlled every aspect of these people’s lives and had a grip of their minds. â€Å"The church had a grip on men’s minds which it is difficult for us to imagine: the strength of the grip was basically Medieval† (Rowdon 159). Far into the cultural and intellectual rebirth in Florence, Giralamo Savonarola used religion to reclaim the minds of the citizens and bring the city back into the Middle Ages. Under the Medici rule, especially the leadership of Lorenzo de’Medici, art thrived and new revolutionary ideas emerged, furthering the Renaissance in Florence while challenging the stronghold of the church. Florence became an edifice for art and the greatest painters of the time flocked to the city including Fra Filippo Lippi, Verrocchio, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and Michelangelo (Greenblatt 13)... ...ermons, Savonarola won the hearts of the common people of Florence. He implored them to retreat back to the church. Savonarola took advantage of the invasion of the French and set up the ideal religious state centered on a moral lifestyle. Savonarola was able to inhibit the development of the Renaissance in Florence and he successfully brought the city back into the Middle Ages. As he had persuaded the citizens of Florence back to the church through fear, he similarly used the tactic to maintain their loyalty. â€Å"The church offered hell-fire for disobedience and playing on those pagan fears that never quite deserted Italian imagination† (Rowdon 159). The people however began to resent the rule of Savonarola and he was deposed and later burnt at the stake. However, his fiery sermons and moral fanaticism never left the minds of the citizens of Florence.