Compagnacci was a group or political faction numbering one hundred fifty men in Florence, Italy. They were opposed to Girolamo Savonarola

Girolamo Savonarola

Girolamo Savonarola was an Italian Dominican friar, Scholastic, and an influential contributor to the politics of Florence from 1494 until his execution in 1498. He was known for his book burning, destruction of what he considered immoral art, and what he thought the Renaissance—which began in his...

, a Dominican

Dominican Order

The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...

 friar who came
to dominate Florentine religious life and politics in the 1490s. Along with Pope Alexander VI

Pope Alexander VI

Pope Alexander VI , born Roderic Llançol i Borja was Pope from 1492 until his death on 18 August 1503. He is one of the most controversial of the Renaissance popes, and his Italianized surname—Borgia—became a byword for the debased standards of the Papacy of that era, most notoriously the Banquet...

 they were a crucial part of Savonarola's demise in the early spring of 1498.

The Compagnacci were also known as the Rude, Rowdy or Ugly Companions. Their leader was a nobleman named Doffo Spini. He was assisted in his opposition to Savonarola by two Medici

Medici

The House of Medici or Famiglia de' Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de' Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside,...

 brothers
of the cadet line, one of whom married a Sforza princess. The Compagnacci were dedicated pleasure seekers who dressed finely and partied with music as an accompaniment. Their influence was reinforced by support they picked up during street demonstrations. In time the Compagnacci won votes in the Great Council.

In Popular Culture

An opera, I Compagnacci was written by Italian composer Primo Riccitelli

Primo Riccitelli

Primo Riccitelli , was an Italian composer.One of six children, he was born in the village of Cognoli, Campli in the Abruzzo Region of Italy. His father, Giuseppe, was a small land owner and his mother, Maria Maiaroli, a homemaker. The one-day old infant was baptized at the local parish hall of...

in the early twentieth century and performed in Rome.