In an effort to escape the corruption of the world around him, Girolamo Savonarola—who was about 23 at the time—withdrew from society and enrolled in a Dominican monastery in Bologna, Italy. After a few years, he relocated to a convent in Florence, where, despite failure in initial attempts at preaching, he grew in popularity as a preacher who spoke openly and passionately about the nature of God’s wrath. He spoke out against the hedonistic tendencies of the clergy and the vanity of mankind, refusing to be silenced by the powerful Papal and political figures that threatened him. After having been summoned to Rome twice in 1495 by Pope Alexander VI, who demanded that Savonarola not speak out publicly in criticism of the corrupt Papacy, Savonarola refused to submit to authority of the Church and was excommunicated. He continued to attend Mass and to rebel against the corruption of the Church, sparking public outrage that resulted in his torture. Having confessed to crimes he had not committed, Savonarola was convicted falsely of heresy and was hanged on May 23, 1498. (Image Source: Anonymous [Public Domain], via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1183710)