Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli
A portrait of Macchiavelli, by Santi di Tito
A portrait of Macchiavelli, by Santi di Tito
Born(1469-05-03)May 3, 1469
Florence, Republic of Florence
DiedJune 21, 1527(1527-06-21) (aged 58)
Florence, Republic of Florence
PeriodItalian Renaissance
GenresNon-fiction, novellas, plays, poetry
SubjectsClassics, history, military science, philosophy, politics, royalty, virtue
Spouse
Marietta Corsini
​
(m. 1502)​
Known forRealism theory
Philosophy career
Influences
Influenced
Signature

Niccolò Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was a Florentine Renaissance man, statesman, and writer. He was a diplomat and government official in the Medici period of the Florentine Republic. Machiavelli is best known for writing about political philosophy. He also wrote poetry, plays, carnival songs, history books, military science books, and some of the best-known personal letters in the Italian language. His best known book is The Prince from 1513. It was not published until 1532, which was five years after he died.

Many people use the word Machiavellian to mean "evil" because his ideas have been viewed by many as wicked. Many historians today still have debates on what he really thought. Nevertheless, Machiavelli is remembered for being an important realism theorist. Machiavelli's ideas are focused mostly on a unique understanding of virtue, statesmanship, and fortune (Latin: Fortuna).

Thoughts

There are many interpretations of his thoughts. Some examples of his thoughts were:

The Prince

A statue of Niccolò Machiavelli, located at the Uffizi

The Prince is a political book by Niccolò Machiavelli. He first shared the book privately in 1513. But it was not published until 1532. The book gives instructions for how a prince or ruler should conduct himself in politics.

Machiavelli is often seen as promoting the idea that a ruler should use any methods necessary to build and maintain power. This idea is often summarized by the saying "The ends justify the means," which some people associate with his work The Prince. Machiavelli suggests that rulers may need to use tricks, lies, and even violence to succeed. For example, a ruler might need to get rid of political opponents, control the population, and remove anyone who might try to take their place. In one part of The Prince, Machiavelli advises that a ruler should act like both a fox, to avoid traps, and a lion, to defeat enemies. This became one of his most famous ideas. Many people believe that Machiavelli’s main point in The Prince is that gaining and keeping power sometimes requires actions that are considered wrong. Because of his advice, the word "Machiavellian" came to describe such political acts.

Other books

Other websites

References

  1. ↑ Najemy, John M. (2010). The Cambridge Companion to Machiavelli. Cambridge University Press. p. 259.
  2. 1 2 3 Honeycutt, Kevin. "Niccolò Machiavelli (1469—1527)". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
  3. ↑ Mansfield, Harvey. "Niccolò Machiavelli". Encyclopædia Britannica.
  4. ↑ Strauss, Leo, "Thoughts on Machiavelli" pg. 9
  5. ↑ Harvey Mansfield and Nathan Tarcov, "Introduction to the Discourses". In their translation of the Discourses on Livy
  6. ↑ Machiavelli, Niccolò (1532). The Prince. Translated by Bull, George. London: Penguin (published 1999).
  7. ↑ Grafton, Anthony (1999). Introduction. The Prince. By Machiavelli, Niccolò. Translated by Bull, George. London: Penguin. pp. xv–xxviii.
  8. ↑ "Niccolo Machiavelli | Beliefs, Books, The Prince, Philosophy, Accomplishments, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-11-22. Retrieved 2025-01-01.
  9. ↑ "Definition of MACHIAVELLIAN". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2025-01-01.