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Ap european history italian renaissance
Ap european history italian renaissance
Ap european history italian renaissance
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By the turn of the sixteenth century, the Italian Renaissance had produced writers such as Danté, Petrarch, Boccaccio and Castiglione, each with ideas rooted in the revival of Greek and Roman Classics, localization of the Christian traditions, idealistic opinions of women and individualism. From these authors spread the growth of the humanistic movement which encompassed the entirety of the Italian rebirth of arts and literature. One among many skeptics, including Lorenzo Valla, who had challenged the Catholic Church fifty years earlier in proving the falsity of the Donation of Constantine, Niccolò Machiavelli projected his ideas of fraudulence into sixteenth century Italian society by suggesting that rulers could only maintain power through propaganda, as seen with the success of Ferdinand of Aragon in Spain circa 1490. Today, the coined term Machiavellian refers to duplicity in either politics or self-advancement. Unlike most philosophers of the sixteenth century, Machiavelli wrote from the perspective of an anti-Humanist; he criticized not only the Classics and the Catholic Church, but also encouraged the deceitful use of religion and hated the humanist concepts of liberty, peace and individualism.1 Born in 1469 to an economically limited family under the parents of Bernardo di Niccolò di Buoninsegna and Bartolomea de’Nelli, Niccolò de Bernardo Machiavelli was exposed to numerous books covering law and Classical texts in his youth, which he consequently learned to reject even before entering in Florentine politics.2 A self-taught intellectual like his father Bernardo, Machiavelli began studies in Latin at age seven. Although he was well-learned in the language by his young adulthood, he quickly refused to write his treatises ... ... middle of paper ... ... Context, 2013. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. . Lynch, Christopher. "War And Foreign Affairs In Machiavelli's Florentine Histories." The Review Of Politics: Academic OneFile, 2012. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. Machiavelli, Niccolò. The Prince. Trans. 1532. New York: SoHo, 2011. Print. "Massacre Of Saint Bartholomew’s Day." Britannica Online: Britannica Online, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. . Nauert, Charles G., Jr. Humanism and the Culture of Renaissance Europe. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print. Ridolfi, Roberto. The Life of Niccolò Machiavelli. Trans. Cecil Grayson. 1954. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1963. Print. Starn, Randolph. “Borgia, Cesare (c. 1475–1507).” Encyclopedia Americana: Grolier Online, 2013. Web. 20 Oct. 2013. .
Niccolò Machiavelli was known during much his life as a part of the republican government in Florence until 1512. At that time, the Medici family took over the city and ruled under a more monarchical system. From that point until his death in 1527, Machiavelli was always just on the outside of Florentine politics. He would occasionally get work from the Medici but his tasks were never as important as they had been under the republican government of the past. As he was trying to find his way back into a major role in Florentine government, Machiavelli wrote The Prince, a manual of sorts that explained how a monarch should rule his state and why. While Machiavelli had been a strong proponent of republican ideals in the past, in The Prince, his ideas are far from adhering to republicanism. The book seems to promote the ideal monarch as a cold, heartless person whose only goal in life should be to retain power, regardless of who or what he destroys. This includes killing enemies of the state, personal enemies of the Prince, and even, in some cases, friends or family. While The Prince was not the first book of this kind, it was the first to suggest a government that rules with no regard for religion or morality. Machiavelli did not particularly pay heed to religious law in the way he lived his life, but he also did not particularly care for the Catholic Church of the time because of the lack of morality demonstrated by the Pope's and other supposedly "religious men's" actions at the time. There are other works that Machiavelli wrote both before and after The Prince that survive today, as well as letters he wrote to his friends that demonstrate a different set of ideals than th...
Born in the 15th century, Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian historian, politician, philosopher, diplomat and humanist. Following his career as an official in the Florentine Republic, Machiavelli was a founder of modern political science and political ethics. In the political treatise The Prince, written in 1532, Machiavelli outlines several key traits of a successful princedom such as; how to incorporate newly acquired provinces, the most successful way to conquer territories, the establishment of successful defense and military forces, as well as qualities which would make for the most desirable prince. Machiavelli also brings to attention the pitfalls of previous Italian princes as to prevent the same mistakes from reoccurring. In The Discourses on Livy Machiavelli discusses things that were currently happening within Rome as a result of the public council, the decision made by the Roman people in an attempt to increase the empire, as well as the actions made by select men which made Rome a successful nation. During the times of political uncertainty Machiavelli responds to the need for a stable political structure and the moral basis for which this structure would exists, as well as the interest of the individual and the state in conjunction with the Italian environment in an age of great city states.
Niccolo Machiavelli was born a citizen of Florence during a very turbulent period of constant p...
Machiavelli’s views were drastically different from other humanists at his time. He strongly promoted a secular society and felt morality was not necessary but stood in the way of a successfully governed state. He stated that people generally tended to work for their own best interests and gave little thought to the well being of the state. He distrusted citizens saying, “In time of adversity, when a state is in need of its citizens, there are few to be found.” In his writings in The Prince, he constantly questioned the citizens’ loyalty and warned for the leaders to be wary in trusting citizens. His radical and distrusting thoughts on human nature were derived out of concern for Italy’s then unstable government. Machiavelli also had a s...
Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy on May 3rd of 1469. Many changes were taking place faster at this time than the masses could follow. The Renaissance was changing the world. Machiavelli had been born during time of change and subsequently shaped who he was and what he was going to do. Although Italy was the center of the Renaissance, characterized by rebirth of learning and culture, it didn't have a central government.
Niccolo Machiavelli- Niccolò Machiavelli is a Florentine politician, philosopher, humanist, and writer. Machiavelli is the f...
The people Niccolo Machiavelli grew up watching were people that influenced the way he thought. Some of these influences were ones he saw early on in his life. Machiavelli was born into a rich family, and had a rigorous education. In 1494, he went into the Florentine government as a clerk. This was the same year that the powerful Medici family lost their dominance over Italy and were forced into exile. This is when he began his career as a diplomat and did work for the major cities in Italy, France and Spain. During this time, he met many important people like Louis XII and Pope Julius II. However, around 1502, Machiavelli began to serve as a political advisor for the Borgia family, the family who was ruling Italy at the time (Machiavelli and Political Thought). He came into contact with Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander. (European Graduate School, Machiavelli Biography). Borgia greatly impacted him, and Machiavelli watched as he expanded his power across central Italy, using cruelty, not kindness. Borgia was evil, and not only was he a murderous warlord, but he also did other outrageous deeds like taking the church’s wealth for his own family, and e...
Niccolo Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469. He was born in Florence, Italy. He was not born into a wealthy family. He was a diplomat for 14 years in Italy’s Florentine republic while the Medici family exiled. When the family returned to ruling Machiavelli was dismissed and sent to jail. During that time machiavelli wrote his most famous book “The Prince”. “The Prince”
Niccolo Machiavelli was born in May of 1469 in Florence, Italy to a family that was of noble blood, but by no means rich. His mother was a poet and his father was a lawyer and they could not afford to send him to a proper school. Not much is known about his early childhood or teenage years; only that because of their noble blood, Niccolo’s family did their best to maintain their status and Niccolo did eventually grow up to be a well brought up young man with a good image. He eventually attended college at the
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. Forgotten is that Machiavelli is not an adequate example of the ruler he is credited with describing; a more accurate statement would be to call someone a “Borgia” or a “Valentino.” Most of the time they are grossly mistaken in their references. All these words accomplish is to add to the legend, and the misinterpretation, of the true nature of Niccolo Machiavelli.
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 Machiavelli, who was a lawyer, and Bartolomea Machiavelli. He was the third of four children (Ford 11). He had two older sisters named Primavera and Margerita. Machiavelli also had a younger brother, Totto, who was six years younger than him (Ford 11).
Niccolò Machiavelli was born into this unstable time of shifting fortunes in the year 1469. He served in a number of minor government positions, and was banished or imprisoned at various points of his career. One of his most notable positions was serving as a sort of political advisor to the Borgia family. The head of the family, Alexander Borgia, was Pope. T...
Machiavelli has long been required reading for everyone intrested in politics and power. In The Prince Niccolo M
A controversial topic among historians regards the humanist movement during the Renaissance. It is generally agreed that there were mutual intentions and characteristics that mainly consisted of the study of the classics with the purpose of understanding humanity better. However, when studying the humanist movement during the Renaissance, the varying opinions concerning the time period in which the Renaissance occurred, as well as the varying locations in which humanism found a following must be taken into consideration. While humanists shared a common goal, no generalization can be made about the movement's more fine details because of the massive geographical size of the humanistic movement during the Renaissance, and the fields into which it stretched as well as the effects of the ways in which the Renaissance is examined.
Niccolo Machiavelli was meant for politics. He first started working as a secretary for the Second Chancery in Florence at the age of 29. Working this job for 14 years allowed him to obtain a lot of experience and learn the ways of power politics. However when Florence fell under Papal control, Machiavelli lost his job and was arrested and tortured because he was a Florentine Republic supporter. After losing his job he never came back to political office again; he instead pursued the art of writing.