In the 1490s, with Florence at the height of its Renaissance glories, the most remarkable man in the city, paradoxically, was not an artist but 'a lowly little friar' called Savonarola, a charismatic preacher and the talk of all Italy. Foreign ambassadors in Florence kept a close watch on him, reports of his doings flowed into the papal court and he was accused of heading an illegal political party. Yet many young men from leading Florentine families joined him as friars. His message of a rapturous devotion to Christ moved women to rebel against the worldly ways of their men. Intellectuals rallied to his side, and great processions of boys took to the streets in his cause. In mute fascination, Machiavelli attended some of his sermons. Artists, including Michelangelo and Botticelli, were awed by him. Scourge and Fire is the story of the Friar's impact on Florentines and of their grip on him. When the repressive Medici fled into exile in 1494, the shadowy republic of Florence, driven by a passion for free debate, bounded back to life. Claiming to speak for God, Savonarola was swept into the forefront of politics, to become the chief defender of a people's freedom. His thundering sermons in the Florence cathedral called for the renewal of a corrupt Church and the purging of vile governments. He mingled the fervour of religion with the ardour of republican politics. Protected and revered by Florence's republicans, Savonarola spawned enemies on all sides, particularly among the rich and powerful. Excommunicated, he spurned the papal curse, until a palace revolution in Florence put him into the hands of his foes, who hanged him on charges of heresy, and then - to keep his remains from becoming relics - cast his body into a bonfire.