Withstanding attacks from bitter enemies, including the Pope, Cosimo’s young grandson Lorenzo becomes a driving force of the Renaissance. When his beloved brother is assassinated, his supporters take instant revenge on those that stand against the Medici family. With his power reinforced, Lorenzo delivers in full the creative revolution conceived by his grandfather. Some of the greatest artistic genius the world has ever known flourishes under Lorenzo: Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, and more – and Florence is hailed as the cultural capital of the world. But a vicious backlash emerges. A young monk named Savonarola rails publicly against the decadence and sinfulness of the city. When Lorenzo dies in 1492, his family is driven from the city and Savonarola leads Florence in a fury of fundamentalist purification. Jewellery, wigs, fancy clothes and many great works of art are destroyed in the now infamous ‘bonfire of the vanities’.
