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What did Girolamo Savonarola predict about Charles VIII’s invasion of Italy?
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Girolamo Savonarola
Girolamo Savonarola, painting by Fra Bartolomeo; in the Museo di San Marco, Florence.
Girolamo Savonarola predicted the arrival of Charles VIII and his subsequent easy victory in Italy two years before the 1494 invasion occurred.1
These prophecies, which were fulfilled when the French king's army successfully entered the region and triggered the overthrow of the Medici in Florence, significantly bolstered Savonarola's authority and influence in the city. Following the invasion, Savonarola further interpreted the event by preaching that if Florence underwent moral purification, it would become a "new Rome" and enjoy worldly success and dominion.12