During the Renaissance, Florence thrived economically and culturally, but it had no military. Many Italian states had their own militias, but Florence did not. Instead of militias, it hired mercenaries or condottieri. Machiavelli feared that mercenaries would be able to take control of a city instead of helping to defend it. Even so, one of the key mercenaries at that time was John Hawkwood. Even though he had fought against Florence, he was so beloved, that when he died, an elaborate burial ceremony with his remains traveled from the Piazza della Signoria to Santa Reparata Cathedral. The people of Florence thought they were blessed by God and didn’t need a military because three different rulers were going to invade at different times. Two died of the three died and the other was unsuccessful. Historically, the governments of Florence were reluctant to arm the entire population because it would include supports of rival factions that could not be trusted (Ritchie, 40). With the renaissance Florence became wealthy and could afford to pay mercenaries or condottieri, from the Italian word condotta, which means contract. Individual fighters would “contract” with Florence to fight on its behalf. …show more content…
(Ritchie, 40). Some military experts were opposed to using mercenaries, including Nicolo Machiavelli. In his book, The Prince, he argued in favor of a state militia because he believed that mercenary troops could not be trusted and were not loyal. He worried that if the condottieri won the war, the city would be in their debt and in danger of being at the mercy of the mercenaries. (The Prince,
He learned to fight during the Hundred Years War in France, where he fought first under Edward III and then at the command of his own company, which sacked Provence. When he came to Italy in 1360, he was first employed by the city of Pisa, then by the Viscontis of Milan, by Pope Gregory XI and lastly by Florence. In 1364 Hawkwood with his Pisan troops was the enemy of the Florentines and had raided their city but they forgave him and established such a good relationship with him that he was honored on his death with the equestrian monument frescoed by Paolo Uccello in Santa Maria del Fiore (1436). This monument is in the Florence Cathedral.
Niccolo Machiavelli believes in a strong government. The leader should be strong and feared. I believe he gets this idea from the fear of God; no one is supposed to question God because he is so feared, and in the same sense, no one should question a strong leader. Machiavelli realizes that the leader should be feared, but not hated. A hated leader will probably be killed in a rebellion. One also can not be loved. Any compassion towards your citizens will make them believe you are weak, and they will rebel. He thinks a very strong military is necessary at all times, and that powerful arms should be available and in hand. This idea is similar to that of right wing America and our friends, the National Rifle Association, who believe assault rifles are America’s pastime. The nation should always be prepared for war, and should always be searching for new lands to conquer. T...
Prior to Augustus’s reforms, when legions were raised, they were comprised almost entirely of Italian recruits. This was out of the question with this new standing army, and filling the ranks with Italians gave way to supplementing legions with local auxiliaries, then later integrating these Romanised locals into a legions structure proper.5 This action undertaken by Augustus seems to have had ramifications as the centuries progressed, with the percentage of Italian born recruits steadily dropping, to the point where by the time of Hadrian, there were almost not Italians serving in the legions. Augustus’s methods of recruiting elsewhere to support the strength of his legions became so successful that they became the primary method of filling the requirements of the Empires new professional
In the traditional political history of Italy the people outside of the ruling class of the society were rarely studied. Only with the use of social history did the issues of class and gender begin to be debated by scholars. Numerous recent articles have done a great job of analysing particularly men of high status. In this paper I will look at the lower classes of Renaissance Florence. More specifically, I will center my focus on the lives of women during this era, how they were treated and viewed by people of other classes and how women were viewed and treated by men.
Machiavelli strongly believes that a prince should be involved in the military and understand all military matters. A prince must always be concentrated on war. Whether his country is at war or not, he must always be prepared. He must continuously be training, mentally and physically, and know the terrain around him. Machiavelli believes that a prince who does not attain these military related qualities will fail as a leader. In addition, during times of war, a successful prince should always question all outcomes of possible battles and prepare himself for the future by studying past wars. Studying the
Multiple historians have touched on the change in government during Fascist Italy’s reign in World War II. In Italian Fascism: Its Origins and Development, Alexander De Grand clarifies the many promises Benito Mussolini fabricated for the Italian people in order to get them to join his cause such as the improvement on poverty with the rise of a new Roman Empire. De Grand also gives an opposite view, with some citizens seeing Fascism as a “model of efficiency.” In Melton S. Davis’ Who Defends Rome?, t...
"The Prince," written by Niccolo Machiavelli in 1513, is a political treatise addressed to the Medici family of Florentine. "The Prince" was written to analyze and explain the acquisition, perpetuation, and use of political power in the west. Machiavelli’s theories in the work describe methods that an aspiring prince could possibly use to acquire power, or an existing prince could use to keep power. Though this work was written in 1513 and published in 1532, its context can be applied to foreign policy in today’s world. The principles suggested by Machiavelli provide insight into the issues that arose with the war on Iraq and issues involved with occupation and transition to a new government.
Because the kings and nobles were not wealthy enough to maintain armies permanently, and the ancient system of raising troops through feudal obligation had, for the time being, fallen apart, the most effective armies were made up of mercenaries. The definition of mercenaries given by the Oxford American Dictionary is "professional soldiers serving a foreign country." These professional, paid troops became a popular practice through out Europe in the 14th century. Both Knights and commoners under arms were eager to take the money of anyone wishing to raise an army. The English were the first of these two countries to use this practice. Free Companies were formed by the English to fight in France.
The key issues over which the Italian Wars were fought were primarily financial incentives for Charles VIII of France. He declared that he intended to use Naples as a base to drive the Ottomans out of Europe and liberate Constantinople. In actual truth his main motivation was self-glory and the mouth-watering prospect of acquiring some exquisite prizes of war. On the way he would acquire rich cities and portable pieces of art. It seems that this invasion had been planned for two years prior since Charles had already bought off potential rivals like Henry VII of England, Ferdinand and Macsimilion. He had also enlisted the support of Genoa and Milan, both within Italy. The regent of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, needed allies and his invitation in 1594 seemed to Charles’ plans perfectly. He accepted and the Italian wars began. Also, the Cardinal of Genoa resented the current Pope, Alexander VI. He invited Charles to come in, depose him and spark off the eagerly awaited church reform.
Need some courage the great use in military not much separation betweenthe two in Italy
"The manner in which Mussolini and the Fascist Party gained possession of the government was regarded in most foreign circles as an illegal act of violence." (3) As the nation of Italy began to suffer great debts, Mussolini had been summoned by the King to form a government to aid in the economic needs. This marked the birth of the Fascist Party in Italy. In the beginning of his rise to the top, Mussolini was popular amongst his people. His popularity was high, and people began to trust in his judgment and ideas. (4) He was, in essence, saving the people from the turmoil that had ensued the nat...
In chapter 13, Machiavelli speaks of how a prince should try and refrain from using auxiliary forces in order to invade or defend a land. He reasons that since they are not the prince’s forces, that the fight whether won or lost leaves him with an unfavorable scenario. By winning the war/fight or whatever it may be, he is still in debt to the one who is the true ruler of the forces. If the prince loses the fight, then he would be captured or left without any defenses. Machiavelli goes further in detail to mention various historical events that ended up going awry because of reliance on auxiliary forces. One of his examples is from the Old Testament, to be exact it is the tale of David and the Goliath. Also, he criticizes the actions of King Louis the Eleventh for having ruined much of his
The Machiavelli family was part of the average middle class. They were not descended from one of Florence’s most important families (Gilbert 9). Although they were not a rich family, the Machiavellis were a respected Florentine family (Wagner 16). Many of his ancestors played an important role in Florence’s politics and hel...
Florence, Italy was a city just like any other during the Renaissance. It was city of 50,000 people, less than there were in Paris and Venice but more than most other European cities. The busiest parts of the city were the Ponte Vecchio, a place lined with markets and houses, the neighborhood of the Orsanmichele and Mercato Vecchio, or the Old Market. Florence was a place of beauty and leisure. A Venetian visitor once said, “There is in my opinion no region more sweeter than that wherein Florence is a placed for Florence is situated in a plain surrounded on all sides by hills and mountains…And the hills are fertile cultivated, pleasant…” (Unger, pg. 1). Florence was a very prosperous city; it made fortunes off of wool and banking trades. A certain Florentine family contributed to the vast wealth as well. The Medici family was no doubt the foundation of prosperity for Florence.
Parker claims that developments described by Roberts in the 1560-1660 period were also present in warfare during the Italian renaissance. Some of these developments being professional standing armies, organization of smaller squad units, and the implementation of uniform