Changes

After the war with Riario, peace did settle in Florence, but new developments created problems for the family. A new friar, Girolamo Savonarola, who was initially supported by Lorenzo, became an important religious leader with a large following. He began to see the corruption of the Medici and, after Tommaso Peruzzi's death who was killed because he began to see the Medici likely took money from the city treasury, things took a turn for the worse for the family. Clarice Orsini, the wife of Lorenzo, died in 1488, while Lorenzo's health began to fail. Lorenzo did see that he needed to invest in the future of his family, mainly in its political interests and influence in Rome through the Papacy. He placed Giovanni de' Medici, the future Pope Leo X, and Giulio in Rome. His daughter Maddalena de' Medici was also betrothed to Franceschetto Cybo, who was a son of Pope Innocent VIII. This helped her brother Giovanni become a cardinal, despite being very young and with little experience. Meanwhile, Lorenzo was trying to get his son Piero more experienced so he could rule Florence in the future, but he was shown as less like his father and seemed to be deeply affected by the corruption and killing of Tomasso. Lorenzo's health continued to get worse and after a conspiracy to assassinate Girolamo, Lorenzo was shown as repentant for his family's sins. Historically, Lorenzo died in 1492, with his son Piero soon taking the leadership role in Florence, although that did not last long and the Medici family was ousted and banished from Florence in 1494-1512. In fact, it was Pope Leo X, who was Giovanni Medici, that enabled the family to come back and rule Florence again. The ousting of the Medici in 1494 led to the infamous Bonfire of the Vanities in 1497, which was the destruction of works of art, books, and even personal items deemed to tempt people to sin. Girolamo led this destruction, who himself was executed by hanging and fire in 1498 as he took religious reform too far for many Florentines.

==Key Characters==