According to Machiavelli's account, in 1378, when crowds from various districts and guilds gathered in Florence to celebrate the Feast of Saint John, they probably did not realize that armed men with ulterior motives were mixed among them.
When the Guelphs discovered that, once the governing council changed over, the new regime would be hostile toward and suppress them, and that they could not prevent Salvestro de' Medici from being elected standard-bearer of justice through elections, they chose to have the Old Guelphs occupy the palace and seize power by driving out their rivals with force.
Yet events developed entirely beyond their control. The whole city was shrouded in flames and earth-shaking uproar, so they all hid at home and dared not come out.
The commoners broke open the prisons and gained reinforcements. They seized the great banner of justice, symbolizing Florence's supreme authority, from its bearer. Under the cover of that banner, they stormed into the homes of many citizens, burning and looting them. Some even took the opportunity to settle private scores, leading those rabble to their enemies' homes to set them ablaze, because as long as the banner led the way toward a house, that house was as good as ashes.
Although these "ragged men" had been cruelly exploited by the "Fat Men," at first they still hoped to solve the problem through reform. Yet the people meeting in the council chamber were not discussing such matters, but handling private cases. As Salvestro de' Medici left the chamber, he said before everyone, "I believe these cases should be tried regularly by specialized judges. The duty of the standard-bearer of justice is to defend the republic, correct the tyranny of powerful figures, and amend those laws that lead the republic toward ruin. Unfortunately, some people harbor ill intentions