Cola di Rienzo, << KAW lah dee ree EHN zoh >> (1313?-1354), was an Italian leader who turned from a freedom-loving reformer into a tyrant. His name is sometimes spelled Rienzi. Cola was born in Rome, into a family with little money. He received a good education and became a notary—that is, a public official who wrote out contracts for others. He objected to the way the nobles oppressed the common people, and he dreamed of restoring the freedoms and glories of ancient Rome. In 1347, he called a meeting of the people to demand a new government. Soon he acquired the title of tribune and received the powers of a dictator. In ancient Rome, a tribune had been an official appointed as a defender of the people.
Cola ruled wisely at first. But he fought the nobles and then imposed taxes on the common people to support his troops and his increasingly lavish lifestyle. The people lost confidence in him, and Cola fled Rome after ruling for only seven months. He returned in 1354. The people welcomed him at first, and he regained power. But when he again began to rule tyrannically, the people rebelled and killed him on Oct. 8, 1354.
