Girolamo Benivieni

Girolamo Benivieni (* 1453 in Florence, † 1542 ) was an Italian poet. He was a member of the Platonic Academy and wrote mainly religious poems, many lauds and allegorical eclogues.

Life

Girolamo Benivieni belonged in his hometown of Florence to the important people in both literary and political circles. He was friends with the humanist poet and philosopher Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. These two were among a community of intellectuals who had once supported Lorenzo de Medici. This coterie broke under the influence of the Dominican reformer Girolamo Savonarola.

Therefore Benivieni returned to poetry back to writing songs to accompany the " burning of the vanities " that Savonarola organized young followers. In addition, he now translated the teachings of Savonarola from Latin.

Later he withdrew from public life. Nevertheless, his advice was asked in the years of the 1520s and 1530s, from both sides, the Medici and the Republicans.