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Scourge and Fire: Savonarola and Renaissance Italy
 
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Scourge and Fire: Savonarola and Renaissance Italy (Hardcover)

by Lauro Martines (Author)
3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
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Scourge and Fire: Savonarola and Renaissance Italy + April Blood: Florence and the Plot against the Medici + The Rise and Fall of the House of Medici
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Price For All Three: £30.44

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Jonathan Cape Ltd; 1st edition (2 Mar 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0224072528
  • ISBN-13: 978-0224072526
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.2 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 651,023 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Sunday Times rvd by Nick Rennison

"A vivid account of the battle for a city’s soul."

Product Description

In the 1490s, with Florence at the height of its Renaissance glories, the most remarkable man in the city, paradoxically, was not an artist but 'a lowly little friar' called Savonarola, a charismatic preacher and the talk of all Italy. Foreign ambassadors in Florence kept a close watch on him, reports of his doings flowed into the papal court and he was accused of heading an illegal political party. Yet many young men from leading Florentine families joined him as friars. His message of a rapturous devotion to Christ moved women to rebel against the worldly ways of their men. Intellectuals rallied to his side, and great processions of boys took to the streets in his cause. In mute fascination, Machiavelli attended some of his sermons. Artists, including Michelangelo and Botticelli, were awed by him. "Scourge and Fire" is the story of the Friar's impact on Florentines and of their grip on him. When the repressive Medici fled into exile in 1494, the shadowy republic of Florence, driven by a passion for free debate, bounded back to life. Claiming to speak for God, Savonarola was swept into the forefront of politics, to become the chief defender of a people's freedom. His thundering sermons in the Florence cathedral called for the renewal of a corrupt Church and the purging of vile governments. He mingled the fervour of religion with the ardour of republican politics. Protected and revered by Florence's republicans, Savonarola spawned enemies on all sides, particularly among the rich and powerful. Excommunicated, he spurned the papal curse, until a palace revolution in Florence put him into the hands of his foes, who hanged him on charges of heresy, and then - to keep his remains from becoming relics - cast his body into a bonfire.
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Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.0 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great biography, 7 July 2006
By Jose Maria Navarro (Zaragoza, Spain) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
I have been in Florence three times. And, possibly, my favourite museum in the city is the Convent of San Marco; there you can see the splendid frescoes by Fra Angelico and, in one room, at the far end of the museum, Savonarola's portrait, his robe and several of his personal items. Before reading the book I thought that Savonarola was just a clever religious fanatic who managed to have Florence under his grip; I was certainly biased against him. But I think that Lauro Martines proves us that Savonarola was a complex and fascinating figure, and that his enemies -the Pope, the Medici, the rulers in several italian Republics- were corrupt and wicked. Martines three main achivements are these: he describes con panache Florence's political setting (the fight between the people of Florence and the Medici oligarcs); the pace of the narrative, in the second part of the book (Savonarola' decline and fall), is that of a thriller, especially the chapters devoted to his interrogation -torture included- and death; and, finally, he is never boring (with the possible exception of his description of Savonarola's dialectical skills). After reading the book, you feel as I you had been strolling through Florence and had know the man himself.
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4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars A very peculiar piece of work, 25 Feb 2008
By Scott (Manchester, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Scourge and Fire: Savonarola and Renaissance Italy (Paperback)
This is undoubtedly a thoroughly researched effort from Martines, as one would expect. There is plenty of detail included from a variety of sources but it is the interpretation and use of these sources which is unconvincing and inconsistent. Too often the author decides that certain sources can be dismissed in certain situations but held to in others - at one point he claims that Macchiavelli's impression as a witness of events cannot be trusted as he didn't write them down until 15 years later, however at a distance of half a millenium Martines has better insight! There are a great number of incidents like this in the text and leaves the reader with the impression that this is revisionism for the sake of it. Far too many attacks on the Compagnacci, insufficient scrutiny of the Frateschi. Very disappointing
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2.0 out of 5 stars Not overly impressed, 6 Jan 2010
By Alex Quigley (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: Scourge and Fire: Savonarola and Renaissance Italy (Paperback)
I have read a great deal of books that focus upon this era of Florentine history. The book is undoubtedly well researched; however, I found it strangely biased, which meant I didn't enjoy the book. His 'April Blood' is a much better written book, but even there he admits that he is biased againt the prevailing current of Medici historical representations. Sadly, he goes too far the other way. His celebration of an austere theocracy over a repressive oligarchy seems to be slightly absurd - a neutral stance favouring neither would surely make for a richer book.

Read 'April Blood' instead if you want some nice insights into the Pazzi conspiracy.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars The Friar from Ferrara
Girolamo Savonarola, the 'friar from Ferrara' preached and comforted the citizens as Florence stood as a new Republic in 1494 with the result of the deposed Medici and the French... Read more
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