Death in Florence: the Medici, Savonarola and the Battle for the Soul of the Renaissance City

· Random House
5.0
2 review
E-book
448
Mga Page

Tungkol sa ebook na ito

By the end of the fifteenth century, Florence was well established as the home of the Renaissance. As generous patrons to the likes of Botticelli and Michelangelo, the ruling Medici embodied the progressive humanist spirit of the age, and in Lorenzo the Magnificent they possessed a diplomat capable of guarding the militarily weak city in a climate of constantly shifting allegiances between the major Italian powers.

However, in the form of Savonarola, an unprepossessing provincial monk, Lorenzo found his nemesis. Filled with Old Testament fury and prophecies of doom, Savonarola's sermons reverberated among a disenfranchised population, who preferred medieval Biblical certainties to the philosophical interrogations and intoxicating surface glitter of the Renaissance. Savonarola's aim was to establish a 'City of God' for his followers, a new kind of democratic state, the likes of which the world had never seen before.The battle which this provoked would be a fight to the death, a series of sensational events - invasions, trials by fire, the 'Bonfire of the Vanities', terrible executions and mysterious deaths - featuring a cast of the most important and charismatic Renaissance figures.

This famous struggle has often been portrayed as a simple clash of wills between a benign ruler and religious fanatic, between secular pluralism and repressive extremism. However, in an exhilaratingly rich and deeply researched story, Paul Strathern reveals the paradoxes, self-doubts and political compromises which made the battle for the soul of the Renaissance city one of the most complex and important moments in Western history.

Mga rating at review

5.0
2 review

Tungkol sa may-akda

Paul Strathern studied philosophy at Trinity College, Dublin. He has lectured in philosophy and mathematics. He is a Somerset Maugham Prize-winning novelist; author of two series of books - Philosophers in 90 Minutes and The Big Idea: Scientists who Changed the World; Mendeleyev's Dream (shortlisted for the Aventis Science Book Prize); Dr. Strangelove's Game: A History of Economic Genius, The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance and The Artist, the Philosopher and the Warrior (published by Cape and Pimlico).

Impormasyon sa pagbabasa

Mga smartphone at tablet
I-install ang Google Play Books app para sa Android at iPad/iPhone. Awtomatiko itong nagsi-sync sa account mo at nagbibigay-daan sa iyong magbasa online o offline nasaan ka man.
Mga laptop at computer
Maaari kang makinig sa mga audiobook na binili sa Google Play gamit ang web browser ng iyong computer.
Mga eReader at iba pang mga device
Para magbasa tungkol sa mga e-ink device gaya ng mga Kobo eReader, kakailanganin mong mag-download ng file at ilipat ito sa iyong device. Sundin ang mga detalyadong tagubilin sa Help Center para mailipat ang mga file sa mga sinusuportahang eReader.