What was Machiavelli's political life like after 1512?
Machiavelli’s political life took a downward turn after 1512, when he fell out of favor with the powerful Medici family. He was accused of conspiracy, imprisoned, tortured and temporarily exiled. It was an attempt to regain a political post and the Medici family’s good favor...
How did the Medici influence Machiavelli?
As a leading political thinker Machiavelli personally dealt with the Medici, and as a writer their influence was all the weightier, exemplified especially in The Prince and The History of Florence (Hereafter Istorie); both works in which Machiavelli paid considerable attention to the way the Medici would envisage his work.
What happened to Machiavelli's friend Niccolo?
When the Medici family returned to power in 1512, Niccolo was exiled from Florence and his political obligations were stripped from him; perhaps the dearest thing of all to Machiavelli.
What is Machiavelli best known for?
On May 3, 1469, the Italian philosopher and writer Niccolo Machiavelli is born. A lifelong patriot and diehard proponent of a unified Italy, Machiavelli became one of the fathers of modern political theory. Machiavelli entered the political service of his native Florence by the time he was 29.
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What did the Medici family do to Machiavelli?
The Medici threw him in jail, tortured him and sent him into solitary exile at his country retreat. It was a punishment worse than death for a man who found high-level politics as necessary as breathing. Machiavelli hated exile. He drank in the company of peasants, fought in local villages and railed at his fate.
Why did Machiavelli dedicate The Prince to the Medici family?
The Prince He hopes that his gracious patron will pity his humble and unfortunate position. Machiavelli addresses his book to Lorenzo de Medici, whom he calls magnificent, alluding to Lorenzo's famous grandfather, who was known as Lorenzo the Magnificent.
Why did Machiavelli like Borgia?
According to Machiavelli, he, "more than any other pope in history showed what could be done with finance and force of arms" (11.4), and it was because of his greediness that popes after him inherited a pretty nice chunk of land. How did he do it? Well, for one, he made smart use of Cesare Borgia.
What happened to Machiavelli after The Prince?
After his involvement in an unsuccessful attempt to organize a Florentine militia against the return of the Medici family to power in 1512 became known, Machiavelli was tortured, jailed and banished from an active role in political life.
Why did Machiavelli dedicate The Prince to Lorenzo?
It was Machiavelli's hope that by dedicating The Prince to Lorenzo de'Medici, son of the most famous of all the Medicis, he would obtain an office that would return him to public life.
Did Machiavelli know the Medici family?
Little is known of Machiavelli's early connections to the Medici. Apart from the friendship of his father, Bernardo, with the Medici chancellor Bartolomeo Scala, the best evidence for Niccolò's links to the Medici is the poem he addressed to Giuliano, son of the elder Lorenzo.
Why does Machiavelli use Cesare Borgia?
He lost power after the death of the pope. Cesare Borgia is Machiavelli's primary example of a prince who has great prowess, as displayed by his efforts to secure his state quickly after he was put in power.
What did Machiavelli say about Cesare Borgia?
Machiavelli again cites the example of Borgia in taking up the question of “whether it is better to be loved than feared.” Not unsurprisingly, Machiavelli writes that, if one had to choose, it is better to be feared than loved: “Cesare Borgia was considered cruel; nonetheless, that cruelty united Romagna and brought it ...
How did Cesare Borgia influence Machiavelli?
Machiavelli observed Borgia during his military campaigns in the Italian Romagna, and used him in his text as one of the models of how a prince should behave. Beyond this, however, Machiavelli also made specific authorial choices in order to construct a narrative of Borgia in the style of a Greek tragedy.
Who banished Machiavelli?
Machiavelli's political life took a downward turn after 1512, when he fell out of favor with the powerful Medici family. He was accused of conspiracy, imprisoned, tortured and temporarily exiled.
What famous person is Machiavellian?
He is best known for his satirical political treatise The Prince (Il Principe), written about 1513 but not published until 1532....Niccolò MachiavelliDied21 June 1527 (aged 58) Florence, Republic of FlorenceNotable workThe Prince Discourses on LivySpouse(s)Marietta Corsini ( m. 1502)13 more rows
What does Makaveli stand for?
Makaveli Origin and Meaning The name Makaveli is boy's name meaning "bad nail; king of light". Makaveli was an alias of Tupac Shakur — his posthumous album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, was released under the pseudonym.
Who did Machiavelli write The Prince for?
Lorenzo di Piero de' MediciHe dedicated The Prince to Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici (1492–1519), ruler of Florence from 1513 and grandson of Lorenzo de' Medici (1449–92).
Why did Machiavelli write The Prince?
Machiavelli wrote this political treatise after being exiled from Florence. He hoped to regain his position as a political advisor and diplomat after Prince Lorenzo de Medici came to power.
Why did the Medici exile Machiavelli?
He was accused of conspiracy, imprisoned, tortured and temporarily exiled. It was an attempt to regain a political post and the Medici family's good favor that Machiavelli penned The Prince, which was to become his most well-known work.
Which Medici was friends with Machiavelli?
During Machiavelli's youth, his father seems to have gained him entrée to the scholarly circles around the widely beloved Lorenzo de' Medici, who had managed to rule Florence for decades without the Florentines' feeling the brunt or shame of being ruled.
Why did Machiavelli want to get down the Istoire?
but because they had been soundless sing civil strife and internal belligerencies. Machiavelli proclaimed the demand to get down from the beginning. The analysis of this point means that Bruni and Bracciolini briefly noted the regulation of the Medici but non the strife that caused it. Furthermore. John Najemy points to the increasing attending Machiavelli paid to Florentine history for a better apprehension of present twenty-four hours Florence.
What is Machiavelli's return to Florence?
Machiavelli returns to give a instead flat history of Florence. most conspicuously is the subject of the rise and autumn of peoples. backed by a steadfast belief that history is cyclical. Some bookmans look at these bland histories as the majority of the undertaking Machiavelli was commissioned to make. while the rise and autumn of peoples is interpreted as Machiavelli’s medium to denounce oppressive regulation. This same narrative construction appears in Machiavelli’s description of slayings. particularly political confederacies. for illustration the attempted blackwash of Guiliano and Lorenzo de Medici. the former of whom was successfully killed but non the later. In these instances. Machiavelli seems to be stating the narrative in such a bland manner that he would distance any personal idea or prejudice on the histories to affect upon his Medicean readers his indifference. Furthermore. it can be argued that Machiavelli does this so as non to frighten. and therefore. displease his honest commissioner. Machiavelli finds himself so delimitated by these restraints that his published work has paid so great attending to factual indifference that it draws off any analysis Machiavelli may hold wished to distribute upon his reader.
What is Machiavelli's most celebrated work?
Regardless of where Machiavelli’s true feelings lay sing the Medici. his most celebrated work exhibits the power and regulation of the Medici in a greathearted visible radiation merely through the dedication. therefore. Medicean influence has been immortalized in Machiavelli’s most celebrated work.
Why did Machiavelli use Fabrizio Colonna?
and by making so was able to proffer anti-Medicean idea. fostering the instance that Machiavelli himself was non in favour of Medicean regulation. and furthermore. demoing how the Medici household affected and influenced Machiavelli’s authorship. Throughout Machiavelli’s composing calling he was ever wary of how the Medici would comprehend his work. therefore. his usage of Colonna was a tool simply to displace any incrimination that may hold come about on history of his word picture of the Medici. However. Machiavelli was invariably in hunt of a medium. and although the Istorie was non a undertaking Machiavelli looked frontward to. it was a really good chance to progress his calling and even his end of denouncing Medicean regulation.
When did the Medici household return to power?
When the Medici household returned to power in 1512. Niccolo was exiled from Florence and his political duties were stripped from him ; possibly the dearest thing of all to Machiavelli. This ostracism must be viewed in a modern context as the severest of mid-life crises. for each dark Machiavelli would set on his old chancery robes and gusto in the repose bestowed upon him. With the really significance of his life on the threshold. he set out to compose The Prince. a short fulmination on governing a princedom. to the Magnificent Lorenzo De Medici.
Was Machiavelli influenced by the Medici?
For good or bad. all the governments agree that Machiavelli was profoundly influenced by the Medici to compose The Prince. Possibly this most celebrated work would hold non come to go through without the Medici authorities. and although some bookmans argue that The Prince was written under Machiavelli’s merely lose of religion in respects to Florence staying a democracy. the facts point towards the belief that the fulmination was originated to project the ruin of the Medici. Possibly the most impressing piece of grounds to turn out that Machiavelli ne’er lost the religion comes in his authorship of the Discourses. written in tandem with The Prince. One would merely non compose these plants back to endorse and retain credibleness. regardless of how good the several instances were argued. if they truly believed in both democracies and princedoms.
Did Machiavelli write "I can non compose this history when Cosimo took the province until Lorenzo?
The aforesaid fact is openly acknowledged when Machiavelli writes “I can non compose this history when Cosimo took the province until Lorenzo’s decease as I would compose if I were free from all vacillation. ” A close reading of the Istoire. really faintly portrays Medicean regulation as tyrannical. yet Machiavelli is non asseverating that the Medici overthrew a absolutely good democracy ; indicating out in fact that it was the mistakes and fraudulence of the democracy that gave manner to Medicean authorization. In a mode so subtle as non to displease his Medicean commissioners. Machiavelli clearly views a democracy as the favourable signifier of authorities. and changeless to his belief that history is cyclical. he believes republicanism will yet return to Florence.
What was Machiavelli's role in the 16th century?
Before his exile, Machiavelli had navigated the volatile political environment of 16th-century Italy as a statesman . There were constant power struggles at the time between the city-states of Italy, the Holy Roman Empire, France and Spain.
What did Machiavelli say about being a good leader?
Machiavelli shed that notion, saying frankly, “It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot have both.”.
What are the variables of Machiavelli's life?
Fortune and Virtù. Finally, leaders must not rely on luck, Machiavelli wrote, but should shape their own fortune, through charisma, cunning and force. As Machiavelli saw it, there were two main variables in life: fortune and virtù. Virtù (not virtue) meant bravery, power and the ability to impose one’s own will.
What did Machiavelli believe about the Prince?
The Prince. As leaders rapidly rose and fell, Machiavelli observed traits that, he believed, bolstered power and influence. In 1513, after being expelled from political service with the takeover of Florence by the Medici family, Machiavelli penned his outline of what makes an effective leader in The Prince. Unlike the noble princes portrayed in ...
What is Machiavelli's quote?
Machiavelli Quotes. Impact of The Prince. The Art of War. Machiavellian History. Sources. According to Machiavelli, the ends always justify the means—no matter how cruel, calculating or immoral those means might be. Tony Soprano and Shakespeare’s Macbeth may be well-known Machiavellian characters, but the man whose name inspired the term, ...
Who was the Prince in The Prince?
One of the real-life models Machiavelli took inspiration from when writing The Prince was Cesare Borgia, a crude, brutal and cunning prince of the Papal States whom Machiavelli had observed first-hand. During a visit with Borgia to discuss relations with Florence, Machiavelli witnessed as Borgia lured his enemies to the city of Senigallia with gifts and promises of friendship and then had them all assassinated.
When was Machiavelli banned?
In 1559, all of Machiavelli’s works were placed on the Catholic church’s “Index of Prohibited Books.”. The recently formed Protestant Church also condemned The Prince, and it was banned in Elizabethan England.
When did Machiavelli die?
Machiavelli was never truly welcomed back into politics, and when the Florentine Republic was reestablished in 1527, Machiavelli was an object of great suspicion. He died later that year, embittered and shut out from the Florentine society to which he had devoted his life.
Why was Machiavelli accused of a conspiracy?
It was an attempt to regain a political post and the Medici family’s good favor that Machiavelli penned The Prince, which was to become his most well-known work.
How old was Machiavelli when he became the defense secretary?
Machiavelli entered the political service of his native Florence by the time he was 29. As defense secretary, he distinguished himself by executing policies that strengthened Florence politically.
Who is Niccolo Machiavelli?
Italian philosopher and writer Niccolo Machiavelli born. On May 3, 1469, the Italian philosopher and writer Niccolo Machiavelli is born. A lifelong patriot and diehard proponent of a unified Italy, Machiavelli became one of the fathers of modern political theory. Machiavelli entered the political service of his native Florence by the time he was 29.
Who inspired the title character in Machiavelli's famous and influential political treatise The Prince?
The shrewd and cunning Borgia later inspired the title character in Machiavelli’s famous and influential political treatise The Prince (1532). Machiavelli’s political life took a downward turn after 1512, when he fell out of favor with the powerful Medici family.
Was Machiavelli a moralist?
In fact, in such longer and more detailed writings as Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy (1517) and History of Florence (1525), he shows himself to be a more principled political moralist. Still, even today, the term “Machiavellian” is used to describe an action undertaken for gain without regard for right or wrong.
Who Was Machiavelli?
Niccoló Machiavelli was born in Florence in 1469 to a middle-class family, thought to have had ancestors who filled many prominent posts in the city during the 13th century. This had changed drastically by Machiavelli’s lifetime. Bernardo, Machiavelli’s father, was prohibited from holding any official office as he was an insolvent debtor.
What happened to Machiavelli?
Machiavelli’s political career sadly met an abrupt end when the powerful Medici family defeated and dissolved the Florentine Republic in 1512. During the Medici reign, Machiavelli was accused of conspiring against the powerful family and was subjected to agonizing torture.
How old was Machiavelli when he entered politics?
Ostracized from political life, Machiavelli devoted himself to studying and writing. Machiavelli entered Florentine politics at the age of twenty-five as a new contender. Surprisingly, he quickly began to climb through the ranks.
Why did Machiavelli oppose the consensus among historians of his day?
Machiavelli opposed the consensus among historians of his day who argued that the fall of the Roman Republic was due to factional strife between the nobility and the commoners. His contemporaries believed that disunity was something to be avoided in a republic.
What does the word "Machiavellian" mean?
“Machiavellian” denotes a person or action that disregards morality and is wholly self-serving. The origin of the word derives from the famous Florentine politician and writer Niccoló Machiavelli.
What is Machiavelli's most famous book?
His Most Famous Work, The Prince. Machiavelli is most famous for his profound yet short book entitled The Prince which he dedicated to Lorenzo De Medici, the new ruler of Florence. The Prince is mainly concerned with the means by which ambitious princes can most effectively maintain and expand their territory.
What did Machiavelli support?
Machiavelli's earlier book displayed strong support for free speech, a republican form of government, and compromise.