Plague and lack of grain, a few surprising skirmishes, all mixed with plenty of scandals, untimely bad news as well as misinformation had spread across Italy. In addition to the round of discussions revolving around the arrival of Maximillian Habsburg (with a smattering of forces) perched in the north of Italy in summer 1496, there were money problems and other related divisions tearing Florence apart. An ambassador from France, a Bishop from Aix came expecting Florence to send back money and, for Savonarola to help raise it. That Bishop complained bitterly that he could not get it.
Part of the resolution regarding the French leaving Florence in late 1494, involved payments to the French. These resulting consequences of the French agreeing to go on their way, were payments and promises of payments for the purpose of fending off or, more charitably, supplanting military action, and were called subventions. An army needed money to take Naples or Pisa, and keep it, or to go on offense against the Ottomans. But money in Florence, Savonarola knew, was sorely lacking.
New taxes and levies and even 'forced loans' on the people, for the benefit of the state had been in operation since the revolution. A new 'interest-free loan' against the Church had been passed by the Signoria on July 23, 1496. Of course it was controversial, and it was even against canon law. There were many who spoke out against it. But it seems even this extreme measure would not be enough. It was not enough to pay for troops to take back Pisa, it was not enough to offset the detruction of harvests by soldiers out in the field, it was not enough to offset disruptions brought on by the reoccurrence of plague that summer. It certainly would not be enough to keep the French happy, or get them to return.
Savonarola preaching again on August 20 (after a plague ban was lifted) declared himself neutral regarding the tax. He preached that the French would return to Italy acting as the hand of God, and that Pisa would be returned to its rightful owners since that was divinely ordained. He knew though that money was hard for everybody to get, that the Church needed its holdings, that the State needed coin and the French too. A tax would help the State temporarily and hurt the Church, a levy for subvention payment would hurt the City and not yet bring back the French to Italy. So, publicly he stated he could be neither for it or against it.
This very issue was prominently raised when the envoy from French King Charles VIII, the Bishop from Aix came calling. He asked Savonarola for his good work toward advancing the subvention payment for France. Savonarola reportedly said he didn't have that power. This was technically true but it was widely known that he could be very influential, especially from the pulpit. The Bishop was outraged. He apparently declared to the Signoria that he would proclaim Savonarola a hypocrite. And if he did that, the people would tear him and, perhaps Florence, to pieces. Then he stormed out. So certain that he was right, and no longer staying in a friendly country, he waited only long enough until he could be certain to find protection in escorting him out of the country and back to France. [p. 201]
Meanwhile envoys were being sent and recieved from Rome, Venice and Milan - the new Holy Alliance - to seek audience with Maximillian who camped near Lake Como. Florence engaged in this as well to see what he might do to return Pisa to them. Max instead required that Florence join his League of Allies against France. Neither would accomodate the other on these initial principles, so no further agreement could be broached.
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from Donald Weinstein: Savonarola: the rise and fall of a renaissance prophet , Yale University Press, New Haven, 2011
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