Medici Expelled from Florence

November 9, 1494

Piero de Medici, terrified by Charles VIII's advance, negotiated humiliating terms without consulting the Signoria. Florence rose up, expelled the family, and declared a republic under the preaching of the friar Savonarola. Cosimo and Lorenzo's careful constructions were dismantled in a weekend. The Medici would return, but not soon. The apocalyptic friar Savonarola filled the vacuum, and his bonfires of vanities consumed paintings and cosmetics in the same squares where Medici festivals had celebrated beauty.