Girolamo Savonarola

"Why are you here?! Why do you disturb me?! You should be cleansing your homes, cleansing your SELVES!"

- Savonarola, after a mob swarms the Palazzo Pitti.

Girolamo Savonarola (21 September 1452 - 23 May 1498) was a Dominican friar and the leader of Florence from 1494 to 1498. He was well known for instigating the Bonfire of the Vanities.

Biography
Savonarola was born in the city of Ferrara. At a young age, Savonarola took a moral stance against the corrupt clergy present in Renaissance Italy.

In 1475, Savonarola studied at Santo Spirito and became a Dominican friar. In 1482, he was dispatched to Florence, "The City of his Destiny," by his order. During the 1480s, he made little impression, and was often called a poor public speaker. He departed Florence in 1487, back to Bologna.

Battle of Forlì
In 1488, Savonarola resided in Forlì for some time. There, he caught wind of the existence of the Apple of Eden after passing by the Orsi brothers, who were conversing with Caterina Sforza. He eavesdropped on the conversation, and from then on, kept a close eye on the Orsi.

Right before Checco Orsi was killed by Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Checco stabbed Ezio in the left side of his lower abdomen. Ezio fell to the ground due to the wound, and right before he lost consciousness, Savonarola appeared to take the Piece of Eden from him.

Bonfire of the Vanities
After the death of Lorenzo de' Medici in 1492, Savonarola used the Apple he had stolen to take over Florence. After uniting the city under his banner, he started to destroy all Renaissance art pieces, due to his desire to revert to Medieval times.

When Pope Alexander VI, the Grand Master of the Templar Order, found out that Savonarola had the Apple of Eden in his possession, he sent several troops of his Papal army to retrieve it, though with no success.

Ezio Auditore returned to Florence in 1497 and started making plans to overthrow Savonarola and retrieve the Apple of Eden.

Ezio concluded that Savonarola's rule was being forced upon the people by his nine lieutenants, who were suppressing the Florentines. Ezio killed all nine of Savonarola's lieutenants, who were all either lured into serving Savonarola, or were being controlled by the Apple. As Ezio successfully assassinated each of the lieutenants, who were spread all over Florence, his fellow Assassins, La Volpe and Paola, began to encourage the people to fight for themselves. Eventually, Savonarola's grip over Florence was lost.

An angry mob gathered in front of Savonarola's residence, the Palazzo Pitti, to stand up against him. Savonarola tried to control the mob with the Apple of Eden, but Ezio threw a knife at Savonarola's hand, which caused him to drop the Apple. With Savonarola powerless, the mob took him away, and a Templar guard fled with the Piece of Eden. Ezio chased and killed the guard, and came into possession of the Apple again.

Death
Savonarola was eventually taken by the Florentine citizens to his execution: being burned alive in the Piazza della Signoria. Ezio ultimately decided that nobody should die in such agony, and pushed through the crowd towards Savonarola. He stabbed him in the neck with his hidden blade before the flames could reach him, and mercifully ended his life.

Savonarola's death greatly upset the Borgia family, as they were desperate to take the Apple of Eden for themselves.

Lieutenants
The following are Savonarola's followers.
 * The Painter
 * The Doctor
 * The Preacher
 * The Farmer
 * The Condottiero
 * The Merchant
 * The Nobleman
 * The Priest
 * The Captain Guard

Final words

 * Girolamo Savonarola: It's you. I knew this day would come. Please, show mercy!
 * Ezio Auditore: I have. Va' ora - che sia il tuo Dio a giudicarti. Requiescat in pace. (Go now - that you may be judged by your God. Rest in peace.)

Trivia
thumb|right|300px|Savonarola's first appearance.


 * In 1488, Savonarola was missing his little finger, although the reason for this is unknown.
 * In real life, Pope Alexander VI excommunicated Savonarola, and afterwards had him hanged and burned at the stake.
 * Savonarola's character seems to be quite similar to that of Jubair al Hakim from Assassin's Creed. Both men believed that knowledge is the path to evil and sin, and both organized massive bonfires throughout their cities to burn books and other sources of knowledge that they believed corrupted society. The missions to assassinate them are also very similar, as in both situations the player must take down each of the assassination target's lieutenants before actually confronting the target (though this is optional in Assassin's Creed).
 * In Assassin's Creed: Renaissance, Ezio shoots Savonarola instead of stabbing him as he is being burned at the stake.
 * Savonarola was mentioned in Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince, where his failure was used as a reference in Chapter 6 of the treatise.
 * Savonarola is the only person in Assassin's Creed II, that is obligatory for Ezio to kill (outside of memory corridor) with his right hidden blade.
 * The player can hear Heralds mentioning Savonarola's name while being in Rome in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood.