POLITICAL REFORMS IN FLORENCE IN 1494-1495. THE LAW ON UNIVERSAL PEACE AND THE APPEAL RIGHT OF "SIX BEANS"

Abstract

The article examines the initial stage of political reforms in Florence, which got rid of the Medici's "tyranny" in November 1494. The splash of unity during the November coup was soon replaced by the division of the citizens into groups defending various options for organizing the government system (the regime of Optimates or the expansion of democracy). The confrontation between oligarchic and democratic tendencies manifested itself both during the implementation of the institutional reform (the establishment of the Grand Council on December 23, 1494) and in the process of promoting the law on "universal peace" and "six beans". The material involved in the study makes it possible to form an idea not only of the nature of political processes in the society at the stage of its reforming, but also to address the problem of the influence of the Florence spiritual leader, the preacher and prophet Girolamo Savonarola, on them. The establishment of "universal peace", associated with the end of the long-running enmity of the Medici's supporters and opponents, was supposed to facilitate the reintegration of the society after the political upheavals of the end of 1494, which was especially important for the preservation of "Florentine freedom", both internal (a guarantee against tyranny) and external (with the outbreak of the Italian Wars (1494-1559), the urgency of threats increased). Whereas the first part of the law practically did not raise objections, the second one, connected with the right to appeal against the decisions of the Signoria on punishing state prisoners and criminals, gave rise to a lot of controversy, firstly, about the need for such a step, and secondly, about the appeal instance (in both cases, concerns were associated with the possibility of violating the "fiorentina libertas" principle).