Machiavelli's Masterpiece: Dieci di Libertà e Pace Quiz and Flashcards

Life of Niccolò Machiavelli and his major works

Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Renaissance.
He is best known for his political treatise The Prince, written around 1513 but not published until 1532.
Machiavelli served as a senior official in the Florentine Republic with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs.
His personal correspondence is important to historians and scholars of Italian correspondence.
After his death, Machiavelli's name came to evoke unscrupulous acts of the sort he advised most famously in his work, The Prince.
Scholars have debated whether The Prince is a straightforward description of political reality or a manual for would-be tyrants.
Machiavelli's political realism has continued to influence generations of academics and politicians, including Hannah Arendt and Otto von Bismarck.
Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy, in a tumultuous era of changing political-military alliances and short-lived governments.
He was taught grammar, rhetoric, and Latin, and was appointed to an office of the second chancery and secretary of the Dieci di Libertà e Pace.
Machiavelli conceived of a militia for Florence and successfully defeated Pisa in 1509.
He was deprived of office and banished from the city for a year after the Medici family, backed by Pope Julius II, defeated the Florentines at Prato.
Machiavelli died on 21 June 1527, and was buried at the Church of Santa Croce in Florence.Influences on Machiavelli's Political Philosophy
Machiavelli had a wide range of influences, including classical republicanism, classical political philosophy, classical materialism, and the Mirror of Princes genre.
Machiavelli's innovative use of the Mirror of Princes genre focused on the deliberate purpose of dealing with a new ruler who will need to establish himself in defiance of custom.
Some commentators assert that Machiavelli's political works can be found in medieval Italian literature influenced by classical authors such as Sallust.
Machiavelli was critical of Catholic political thinking and may have been influenced by Averroism.
Machiavelli rarely cites Plato and Aristotle, and most likely did not approve of them, but was indirectly influenced by his readings of authors such as Polybius, Plutarch, and Cicero.
Machiavelli is sometimes seen as the prototype of a modern empirical scientist, building generalizations from experience and historical facts, and emphasizing the uselessness of theorizing with the imagination.
Machiavelli encouraged risk-taking and innovation, most famously the founding of new modes and orders.
Machiavelli saw ambition and spiritedness, and therefore war, as inevitable and part of human nature.
Machiavelli shows repeatedly that he saw religion as man-made and that the value of religion lies in its contribution to social order.
Machiavelli is unusual in the positive side he sometimes seems to describe in factionalism in republics.
Machiavelli's realism and willingness to argue that good ends justify bad things is seen as a critical stimulus towards some of the most important theories of modern politics.
Machiavelli's ideas had a profound impact on political leaders throughout the modern west, helped by the new technology of the printing press.The Influence of Machiavelli on Politics, Philosophy, and Culture
Machiavelli's works were controversial during his time, with both Catholic and Protestant writers associating him with their respective ideologies.
The Huguenot writer Innocent Gentillet criticized Machiavelli's atheism and questioned the effectiveness of immoral strategies, becoming the theme of political discourse in Europe during the 17th century.
Modern materialist philosophy developed in the 16th and 17th centuries, resulting in modern science and economics, influenced by Machiavelli's realism and encouragement of innovation.
Machiavelli influenced major philosophers, including Montaigne, Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, and Montesquieu, with John Adams praising him as a philosophic defender of mixed government.
Machiavelli's writings on ethics, morals, and revolution inspired the Italian Communist Antonio Gramsci and were read by Joseph Stalin.
Machiavelli's play La Mandragola received numerous stagings, and his works have contributed to the modern negative connotations of politics and the term "Machiavellian."
Scholars have debated whether Machiavelli was an advisor of tyranny or partisan of liberty, with his works being complex and having equally influential themes.
Machiavelli has appeared as a stock antagonist in English Renaissance theatre and in popular culture, including television dramas, video games, and literature.
Tupac Shakur was influenced by Machiavelli's work and changed his rap name to Makaveli in his honor.
Besides being a statesman and political scientist, Machiavelli also translated classical works, and was a playwright, poet, and novelist.Machiavelli's Life and Works
Machiavelli wrote several works, including The Prince and Discourses on Livy.
He was a diplomat and served in various government positions in Florence.
Machiavelli was accused of conspiracy and imprisoned, leading him to write The Prince.
The Prince is a political treatise on how to gain and maintain power, often associated with the idea of "the ends justify the means."
Machiavelli also wrote works on military strategy and history.
He was a proponent of a strong central government and the use of force when necessary.
Machiavelli's ideas were controversial and led to his reputation as an amoral and cynical thinker.
He wrote a dialogue on Italy's language, which is often attributed to him.
There is some evidence that Machiavelli also wrote a comedy in the style of Aristophanes.
Machiavelli's works have been interpreted in various ways, including as a critique of tyranny and as a defense of republicanism.
His ideas have influenced political thinkers and leaders for centuries.
Machiavelli died in 1527 in Florence.