On 12 May 1497, Pope Alexander VI officially excommunicated Girolamo Savonarola, a fiery Dominican friar who had become one of the most controversial figures in Renaissance Italy.
Savonarola had gained great influence in Florence by preaching against corruption in the Church and calling for moral reform. He attacked the powerful Medici family and even claimed to speak with divine authority. His sermons condemned luxury, sin, and especially the corruption of Pope Alexander VI himself.
At first, the Pope tried to silence Savonarola with warnings and offers of Church positions, hoping to calm the situation. But Savonarola refused to back down. He continued to preach, defy papal orders, and call for a council to reform the Church.
Finally, after months of disobedience, Pope Alexander VI issued the papal bull “Regis pacifici”, formally excommunicating Savonarola. The bull declared him a heretic and cut him off from the Church. This act greatly weakened Savonarola’s authority and marked the beginning of his downfall.
Less than a year later, in 1498, Savonarola was arrested, tried, and executed in Florence.
The excommunication of Savonarola was a powerful example of the Church’s efforts to suppress dissent—and a moment that foreshadowed the religious upheavals that would soon shake Europe.