Entry of Charles VIII into Florence

This painting by **Francesco Granacci**, dated **1518**, depicts the entry of **Charles VIII** into **Florence** in **November 1494**, at the moment when the French expedition disrupted the political balance of Italy. The work shows the king moving forward amid an armed procession in a city where the collapse of Medici power gave the event both urban and diplomatic significance. It sheds light on the speed of the French advance southwards and on the mixture of fascination and anxiety it aroused among contemporaries. Produced soon after the events, it is a particularly valuable iconographic witness to one of the most spectacular moments at the beginning of the **Italian Wars**.