Famous Renaissance Figures

                                                               

 

 

 

     

 

 

                                                               

 

                                                                   Personal Life    

 

Born on May 3, 1469 in Florence, Italy, Niccolò Machiavelli was a diplomat for 14 years. A diplomat is an official representing a country aboard. He worked in the Florentine republic as a diplomat during the Medici family's’ exile. When the Medici’s got back power in 1512, Machiavelli was shortly dismissed of his post as a diplomat and was suspected of conspiracy in which he was arrested and tortured. His father Bernardo Machiavelli was a lawyer, but not a very prosperous one. As a man who loved literature and art, Bernardo had contacts with Florence’s political circles which later provided him with the opportunities to enter public service. Growing up he received education which was typical for a middle class boy. He grew up learning Latin and reading the classical Roman and Greek authors. In the year 1501 he married Marietta Corsini when he was at the age of 32. Marriages in the Renaissance were usually arranged by a marriage broker who matched couples on the basis of family status and dowry. No doubt Machiavelli and Marietta’s marriage was no exception. With this marriage the two couples had 6 children, Guido Machiavelli, Bernardo Machiavelli,Primerana Machiavelli,Lodovico Machiavelli,Perio Machiavelli and Baccina Machiavelli. Furthermore Machiavelli wrote two very controversial treatises known as “The Prince” and the “Art of war.”

 

 

                                                          Accomplishments

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Niccolo Machiavelli was one of the most controversial yet important political figures of the renaissance. Machiavelli was a political figure who believed in the value of power and control. Machiavelli had believed that it is better to be feared than to be loved. All of these virtues are present in one of his most famous works, The Prince. The Prince is a book dedicated to Lorenzo de Medici who was the ruler of the Florentine republic a state Machiavelli had governed over. This was most likely what influenced Machiavelli the most. Furthermore, the reign of Lorenzo de Medici was key to the future of the divided city states of Italy. This is due to Lorenzo being from the powerful and influential Medici family. Due to Lorenzo’s importance, it was important that Niccolo Machiavelli, a renowned politician influence the powerful and influential ruler of the Florentine Republic. Furthermore, not only did Machiavelli write the Prince for Lorenzo de Medici he also partially wrote the Prince for the divided city states of Italy instructing rulers on the importance of fear as a way to govern people. What the Prince says about power mainly revolves around humanism. Humanism is shown through the way Machiavelli; states that rulers are mainly made rulers by their intelligence and willingness to get their “hands dirty”. These values held by Machiavelli have been used in modern day North American politics and dictatorships. Not only that but, another way Machiavelli demonstrates humanism in The Prince was by stating that a ruler must be cruel, ruthless, and willing to break both moral and religious principles. He had demonstrated that rulers are what they make themselves. Even during the renaissance, a time of religious enlightenment, this was far-fetched. The audacity and ruthless behavior that Machiavelli’s The Prince shows is one that instructs rulers and want to be rulers on the way to receive and maintain power, through violence and cruelty and is somewhat still credited today.

 

 

One of Machiavelli’s more active accomplishments was becoming the second chancellor of the Florentine Republic after succeeding the first chancellor Adriani in 1498. As second chancellor Machiavelli began to revolutionize the thought of government through cruelty and compassion. It is most likely that his experience as second chancellor and secretary influenced most of the topics discussed in The Prince. Furthermore, one of the first things Machiavelli did as chancellor was negotiate the continuance of loans to Catherine Sforza a Duke of Milan who shared many of the same values and beliefs of war and power Niccolo Machiavelli had. Machiavelli had shared many of the same views of religion, war and politics with the people he worked with, with the exception of a few. Furthermore, though he mainly shared values and beliefs with the people he worked with, there were some exceptions, for example, one major thing Machiavelli did as chancellor was meet Louis XII and the cardinal of Rouen in France of 1500. This meeting would have defined the perspective of religion and neighboring politics held by Machiavelli. This is because Machiavelli’s views on religion were widely separated from his views on politics. This is shown through one of his writings and how he believed leaders should be willing to go to hell for their country. This would prove true as he showed his audacious beliefs to the cardinal of Rouen. Niccolo Machiavelli had accomplished many things as chancellor, he had worked with many people who all influenced his life, some he shared beliefs with and some he didn’t.

 

 

 

                                                              Worldview

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Society- Leaders should be compassionate only when necessary.

 

Values- Cruelty brings order

 

Knowledge- Leaders can only be leaders if they are intelligent and well educated

 

Beliefs- One who neglects what is truly done for what should be done is on his way to self-destruction.

 

Geography- Italy would be a stronger nation if all the city states were united due to the geographical advantage, such as protection.

 

Time- The life of a man does not matter, only the end matters, and the end justifies the means.

 

Economy- Money should be used to protect power.

 

Humanism- Government and religion should be separate because government is human made.Personal life

 

Values - Extended

 

Niccolo Machiavelli’s values were mainly about power and control. Machiavelli valued the strength of a leader and what they could bring. Machiavelli based most of his values on the structure of things. He shared much of his values with the Middle Ages, only he did not believe his values were holy or divine he only thought that they were what society needed. Furthermore, many of Machiavelli’s values were recorded in the Prince and were portrayed through his political strategies. Therefore, Niccolo Machiavelli’s values were mainly based on structure and control, he shared many of his values with the Middle Ages only, he did not believe they were divine.

 

                                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                               Sources  

                                 

White, M., (2014). Niccolo Machiavelli. Retrieved February 12 2014 from http://www.nndb.com/people/654/000034552/

 

(Niccolo Machiavelli[1469-1527]. Oregon State. Retrieved February 12 2014 from http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/philosophers/machaivelli.html

 

The Sophia Foundation., (October 1 2001). Caterina Sforza. Retrieved February 13 2014 from http://www.womenwholead.org/caterina_sforza.htm

 

(The Prince)., (2013). Sparknotes. Retrieved February 13 2014 from http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/prince/ Kreis, S., (April 13 2012).

 

Niccolo Machiavelli. Retrieved February 14 2014 from http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/machiavelli.html