Fire in the City:Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence

Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence

Nonfiction, History, Italy, Biography & Memoir, Historical
Cover of the book Fire in the City:Savonarola and the Struggle for the Soul of Renaissance Florence by Lauro Martines, Oxford University Press, USA
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Lauro Martines ISBN: 9780199884308
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Publication: April 21, 2006
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Lauro Martines
ISBN: 9780199884308
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication: April 21, 2006
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

A gripping and beautifully written narrative that reads like a novel, Fire in the City presents a compelling account of a key moment in the history of the Renaissance, illuminating the remarkable man who dominated the period, the charismatic Savonarola. Lauro Martines, whose decades of scholarship have made him one of the most admired historians of Renaissance Italy, here provides a remarkably fresh perspective on Girolamo Savonarola, the preacher and agitator who flamed like a comet through late fifteenth-century Florence. The Dominican friar has long been portrayed as a dour, puritanical demagogue who urged his followers to burn their worldly goods in "the bonfire of the vanities." But as Martines shows, this is a caricature of the truth--the version propagated by the wealthy and powerful who feared the political reforms he represented. In fact, Savonarola emerges as a complex and subtle man: compassionate, wise, a poet and scholar, and even, at critical moments, a force for moderation. The friar, a mesmerizing preacher, set the city afire with his message of Christian charity wedded to republican ideals. It is this reality--of Savonarola as both religious and civic leader--that Martines captures in all its complexity, showing how he inspired an outpouring of political debate in a city newly freed from the tyranny of the Medici. In the end, the volatile passions he unleashed--and the powerful families he threatened--sent the friar to his own fiery death. But the fusion of morality and politics that he represented would leave a lasting mark on Renaissance Florence. For the many readers fascinated by histories of Renaissance Italy--such as Brunelleschi's Dome or Galileo's Daughter, and Martines's acclaimed April Blood--Fire in the City offers a vivid portrait of one of the most memorable characters from that dazzling era.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A gripping and beautifully written narrative that reads like a novel, Fire in the City presents a compelling account of a key moment in the history of the Renaissance, illuminating the remarkable man who dominated the period, the charismatic Savonarola. Lauro Martines, whose decades of scholarship have made him one of the most admired historians of Renaissance Italy, here provides a remarkably fresh perspective on Girolamo Savonarola, the preacher and agitator who flamed like a comet through late fifteenth-century Florence. The Dominican friar has long been portrayed as a dour, puritanical demagogue who urged his followers to burn their worldly goods in "the bonfire of the vanities." But as Martines shows, this is a caricature of the truth--the version propagated by the wealthy and powerful who feared the political reforms he represented. In fact, Savonarola emerges as a complex and subtle man: compassionate, wise, a poet and scholar, and even, at critical moments, a force for moderation. The friar, a mesmerizing preacher, set the city afire with his message of Christian charity wedded to republican ideals. It is this reality--of Savonarola as both religious and civic leader--that Martines captures in all its complexity, showing how he inspired an outpouring of political debate in a city newly freed from the tyranny of the Medici. In the end, the volatile passions he unleashed--and the powerful families he threatened--sent the friar to his own fiery death. But the fusion of morality and politics that he represented would leave a lasting mark on Renaissance Florence. For the many readers fascinated by histories of Renaissance Italy--such as Brunelleschi's Dome or Galileo's Daughter, and Martines's acclaimed April Blood--Fire in the City offers a vivid portrait of one of the most memorable characters from that dazzling era.

More books from Oxford University Press, USA

Cover of the book Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions : Standards and Cases by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book Why Should Jews Survive? : Looking Past The Holocaust Toward A Jewish Future by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book The Caucasus:An Introduction by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book Real Enemies : Conspiracy Theories And American Democracy, World War I To 9/11 by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book Dividing the Spoils:The War for Alexander the Great's Empire by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book Abraham Lincoln by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book Storm over Texas:The Annexation Controversy and the Road to Civil War by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book A Genius For Deception : How Cunning Helped The British Win Two World Wars by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book The Power Surge: Energy, Opportunity, and the Battle for America's Future by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book Freedom's Orator : Mario Savio And The Radical Legacy Of The 1960s by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book El Libertador:Writings of Simon Bolivar by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book Cuba : What Everyone Needs To Know by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book Sex And The Soul : Juggling Sexuality, Spirituality, Romance, And Religion On America's College Campuses by Lauro Martines
Cover of the book Visions of Jazz : The First Century by Lauro Martines
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy