Niccoló Machiavelli is perhaps the greatest political thinker in history. He was a historian, musician, a poet, and he wrote comedies. He liked poetry as much as he liked philosophy. Machiavelli wrote and collected poems. His works, which are inspired by his life experiences, have been read by many of the worlds greatest politicians. Niccoló Machiavelli’s writing was influenced by the Medici family, the Soderini government in Italy, and his own diplomatic career. His great work, The Prince, is legendary for its impact in politics and its controversial proposals.
Niccoló Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469, in Florence, Italy. This was during the golden ages of Florence, a powerful point in its history. His parents were Bernardo
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Machiavelli himself once said, “At an early age, I learned how to scrimp rather than to thrive” (King 3). This meant that Machiavelli was not born into wealth and instead of being given everything he wanted; he had to work for it.
Machiavelli’s father provided him with a rather sufficient education in religion, classics, and politics. His father loved books. In fact, they had a library where he collected works by Greek and Roman philosophers such as Cicero and Aristotle (Wagner 17). He also collected major studies of Italian history. The books that his father collected provided Niccoló with a foundation of knowledge about the ideas of noble Greek and Roman thinkers (Wagner 17). These books would also help shape Niccoló’s own writings decades later. When Machiavelli grew a little older, he studied at The Studio, which was essentially a school. The Studio gave Machiavelli a solid grounding in rhetoric, grammar, poetry, history, and moral philosophy (King 7). Three days after his 17th birthday, Machiavelli began learning the elements of Latin under the Supervision of a local teacher known as Maestro Matteo, who conducted lessons from a house near the Ponte Santa Trinitia (King 6).
Machiavelli desired and had a talent for government work ever since childhood. His intelligence and passionate political interests were powerful reasons for the attention from Florentine politicians. For this reason, he was once known as “Machia,” a pun on
Machiavelli’s interpretation of human nature was greatly shaped by his belief in God. In his writings, Machiavelli conceives that humans were given free will by God, and the choices made with such freedom established the innate flaws in humans. Based on that, he attributes the successes and failure of princes to their intrinsic weaknesses, and directs his writing towards those faults. His works are rooted in how personal attributes tend to affect the decisions one makes and focuses on the singular commanding force of power. Fixating on how the prince needs to draw people’s support, Machiavelli emphasizes the importance of doing what is best for the greater good. He proposed that working toward a selfish goal, instead of striving towards a better state, should warrant punishment. Machiavelli is a practical person and always thought of pragmatic ways to approach situations, applying to his notions regarding politics and
Even if Machiavelli was a citizen of the up-middle class he still felt the effect and maybe he could have had a bigger possibility to travel, know and be instructed. He had the right to think and elaborate, he was a man of culture. One of the most shocking thing he saw and understand in his life was that good rulers doesn’t exist and if they do they don’t last much. In fact his ideal ruler was Ferdinand D’Aragon because when Luis the 12 accuse the Spain ruler of lying to him two times Ferdinand responded stating that he lied more than ten. Machiavelli loved this ruler because it was smart and ready to stab on the back of allies.
It must also be known that this man lived in an era 500 years past. He may have only wrote the book as a way to please the political power of his time. Machiavelli's mind can only be known by someone who knew him on a personal level.
ideas into action or write them out for all to examine. The Prince infl uenced influenced
Niccolò Machiavelli’s book, The Prince, argues that the prince of a country should attempt to evoke a sense of fear in his subjects instead of love while still not being hated by society. Niccolò Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was an Italian diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer who is often regarded as the father of modern political science. Machiavelli is best known for writing The Prince, a book that provides various pieces of advice that Machiavelli believes that a ruler should follow. In The Prince, it states, “Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you succeed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood,
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat, a government official, a philosopher, a humanist and an author during the Renaissances. Today, Machiavelli is known as the father of modern political theory and these such theories are most conspicuous in his short book, "The Prince". The main objective as to why Machiavelli composed “The Prince,” was that he wanted a position within the government, so he needed to win the support of Lorenzo de' Medici who at this time was the governor of Florence. Therefore, he dedicated this book which was a guideline for future rulers about how an individual can acquire and maintain political power, to Medici thinking it would give him the position of an advisor. However, when Medici read the book he perceived it differently, so word got around that Machiavelli’s book, “The Prince” was unethical and fiendish. For the remaining fourteen years of his life he was criticized for his obscure ideas and died in ignominy, but not once did he let societies teachings affect his beliefs.
Machiavelli was a Renaissance humanist. He learned Greek and Latin in school and was a student of Roman history. He even published a commentary on the works of the Roman historian Livy entitled Discourses
After five hundred years, Niccolo Machiavelli the man has ceased to exist. In his place is merely an entity, one that is human, but also something that is far above one. The debate over his political ideologies and theories has elevated him to a mythical status summed up in one word: Machiavelli. His family name has evolved into an adjective in the English language in its various forms. Writers and pundit’s bandy about this new adjective in such ways as, “He is a Machiavelli,” “They are Machiavelli’s,” “This is suitable for a Machiavelli.” These phrases are almost always the words of a person that understands more about Niccolo’s reputation than the man himself.
Niccolo Machiavelli was a Renaissance statesman and a political figure. He was born in May 3, 1469, Florence, Italy. He wrote many things that brought him popularity as an immoral cynic and a agnostic. Niccolo had always been a very wealthy person. In 1512 the Florentine republic was conquered and the gonfalonier removed by a Spanish army that Julius II had enrolled into his Holy League. The Medici family came back to rule Florence, and Machiavelli was charged with conspiracy, was thrown in jail, tortured, and sent into exile, expelled from a country, in 1513. Machiavelli was a writer. Some of the things he wrote was The prince, Discourses on Livy, and The Art of War. That is some background information on Niccolo Machiavelli
Despite the fact that Machiavelli was forced to give up politics, he remained heavily involved and active in keeping up with the politics of the city of Florence. Machiavelli’s work contradicted the political theories of the medieval theorists prior to his time. His most famous treatise, The Prince, reflects the disastrous political state of Florence and the majority of Italy. Machiavelli’s work communicated his theory that political power was to be acquired to benefit the interests of the state, not the the people. What he witness through his years of observation, were Italian rulers operating on moral compasses as opposed to working towards the benefit of the state. This method of ruling, to him, was unrealistic and unprogressive. A general
Born in Italy in 1469, he had come from a well-educated family with his father being a lawyer. Machiavelli had a lot to do with many important topics that mean a lot to us today. He had a lot to do with political theory, he would talk about how a good politician is not necessarily nice or honest buy is able to enrich, defend, and bring honor to the state. Even though being nice is a virtue that we all see today Machiavelli did not feel too strongly about it, it was more important for them to be able to defend and protect the state. He actually had the military family expelled who had been in control of Florence expelled. This caused a long time of political troubles. Because of this he went from being a respected diplomat to a general then,
Machiavelli has long been required reading for everyone intrested in politics and power. In The Prince Niccolo M
Niccolo Machiavelli is undoubtedly one of the most enigmatic figures in the long evolving history of political thought of modern Europe. No other doctrine of any other political theorist has been so intensely dissected, read, reread and researched upon even after five hundred years. Machiavelli has been accused and accepted, revered and rejected, celebrated and condemned very few political theorists have actually managed to cause such diverse reactions in the minds of people all over the world.
Niccolo Machiavelli was a famous Italian from the Renaissance period. He became an important historian, diplomat, poet, musician, philosopher and Italian politician. Lived during the government of Lourenço de Médici.
During Machiavelli’s time, society was much different than it had been for previous philosophers. Instead of storing up good works, so as to enjoy paradise, as the medieval man did, the Renaissance man was interested in all things, enjoyed life, strove for worldly acclaim and wealth, and had a deep interest in classical civilizations. He was born at a time of conflict within Florence, Italy, between the republican leaders and the family of the Medici’s, of which the Machiavelli’s, especially, had a history of opposition towards. After years of conflict between powers, Machiavelli was exiled from his country.