Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiaveli was born in 1469 in the city of Florence. His family was of a noble stature, but was not a rich one. When he was younger he enjoyed studying classical works of literature, such as of the Roman historian, Livy. Machiavelli was made chancellor of the lower branch of the Florentine Republic, and in his new position, he carried out duties such as being a diplomat for Florence to the surrounding states. He married Marietta Corsini in 1502 and together they had six children.
In 1510 Machiavelli organized a militia of the citizens of Florence to guard and protect the city, but in 1512 the army of the Medici attacked a town on the outskirts of Florence, and succumbed to the reign of the Medici family once again. After the Medici’s came back into power, Machiavelli was removed from his position in office and was imprisoned and tortured for suspicion of conspiring against the Medici family. Later he was exiled from Florence although he was innocent of treason. He spent the rest of his life in exile writing his most famous works of literature, The Art of War, Mandragola (A drama about the self-centeredness of humans), and Discourses upon the First Decade of T. Livius, and The Prince. Later, the Medici’s were evicted from the city of Florence and the Florentine Republic was re-established. Machiavelli ran for office, but his the ideas expressed in his book, The Prince, had given him a bad reputation, and he was not elected. Machiavelli died in 1527 from ill health.
In the time Machiavelli spent in exile, he wrote many books, essays, and even a play, but his most famous writing is The Prince. The Prince was a guide and informational book on how to gain and keep power. Machiavelli had a realist view on politics, just as painters like Michelangelo had on art. Early philosophers, such as Plato, had written works on how political leaders should behave and make decisions according to an ideal world, but Machiavelli knew that we did not live in an ideal world and that human leaders would not be perfect. He knew that if a leader wanted to keep and hold his power, he should be feared and respected, because it is much easier to be feared than loved. This would keep the amount of conspirators to a minimum, since they would fear the consequences if they were caught or did not succeed. Another one of his key points in keeping power was that a ruler should do everything in his power to get the outcome of what he desires. Machiavelli says that the people that are being ruled over don’t care how a battle, war, or conflict, was won, they only care that they won or they lost. Machiavelli was one of the most influential writers of the Renaissance era. Today, he is considered the father of political science because he was the first person to record and explain politics in a realistic manner that shows the darker side of government. Through his works we now can better understand how the world of politics functions, and that leaders are often faced with difficult tasks that there is no “good” outcome, but what has to be done to succeed must be done.
In 1510 Machiavelli organized a militia of the citizens of Florence to guard and protect the city, but in 1512 the army of the Medici attacked a town on the outskirts of Florence, and succumbed to the reign of the Medici family once again. After the Medici’s came back into power, Machiavelli was removed from his position in office and was imprisoned and tortured for suspicion of conspiring against the Medici family. Later he was exiled from Florence although he was innocent of treason. He spent the rest of his life in exile writing his most famous works of literature, The Art of War, Mandragola (A drama about the self-centeredness of humans), and Discourses upon the First Decade of T. Livius, and The Prince. Later, the Medici’s were evicted from the city of Florence and the Florentine Republic was re-established. Machiavelli ran for office, but his the ideas expressed in his book, The Prince, had given him a bad reputation, and he was not elected. Machiavelli died in 1527 from ill health.
In the time Machiavelli spent in exile, he wrote many books, essays, and even a play, but his most famous writing is The Prince. The Prince was a guide and informational book on how to gain and keep power. Machiavelli had a realist view on politics, just as painters like Michelangelo had on art. Early philosophers, such as Plato, had written works on how political leaders should behave and make decisions according to an ideal world, but Machiavelli knew that we did not live in an ideal world and that human leaders would not be perfect. He knew that if a leader wanted to keep and hold his power, he should be feared and respected, because it is much easier to be feared than loved. This would keep the amount of conspirators to a minimum, since they would fear the consequences if they were caught or did not succeed. Another one of his key points in keeping power was that a ruler should do everything in his power to get the outcome of what he desires. Machiavelli says that the people that are being ruled over don’t care how a battle, war, or conflict, was won, they only care that they won or they lost. Machiavelli was one of the most influential writers of the Renaissance era. Today, he is considered the father of political science because he was the first person to record and explain politics in a realistic manner that shows the darker side of government. Through his works we now can better understand how the world of politics functions, and that leaders are often faced with difficult tasks that there is no “good” outcome, but what has to be done to succeed must be done.