Discourses on Livy · Character
Girolamo Savonarola
The Florentine friar whose reforming sermons and prophetic authority collapsed for want of the power to destroy his enemies, as Machiavelli observes.
supporting
Also known as the Friar Girolamo Savonarola
First appearance: i
As a supporting figure in Discourses on Livy, Girolamo Savonarola is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.
Persuaded the Florentines that he spoke with God, demonstrating that even civilized people can be swayed by religious authority.
Savonarola preached against the corrupt wise of this world and tried to remake Florence in the image of his visions, but as a friar he lacked the authority to strike down the rivals his reforms provoked. Machiavelli pairs him with Piero Soderini as a case study in how good intentions fail when unarmed by decisive force. His downfall illustrates the Discourses' hard lesson that reformers who cannot or will not use severity are undone by the envy they leave alive.
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Character Web
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Relationship types
- Other
Character groups
- Founders and Tyrants
- Founders and Indecisive Leaders
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Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
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Chapter companion notes
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