Great Rulers and What Makes Them Successful
What makes a great ruler? Several great powers in history including Cyrus of Persia, T’ai-tsung, the Duke of Valentine, and Agathocles will be analyzed in order to attempt to answer this question. Based on three readings, these questions will be answered:
1. What are the personal qualities of Cyrus and T’ai-tsung? What is it about these personal qualities that made them successful rulers?
2. How does Machiavelli portray the Duke of Valentine and Agathocles? Does he consider them good or bad rulers? Why?
3. Compare and contrast Machievelli’s concept of an effective ruler with the depictions of Cyrus and T’ai-tsung.
4. Which ruler do you feel is the most worthy of admiration: Cyrus, T’ai-tsung, the Duke of Valentine, or Agathocles? Why?
Cyrus of Persia and T’ai-tsung are indefinitely among the great leaders in history. The cause of their success fundamentally lies in their personal qualities. Beginning with Cyrus, his amiable qualities were numerous. As a child “he was regarded the best of them all in every way”, “best-behaved of his contemporaries”, “able to manage…well”, and “most eager to learn” (Xenophon, 41). As a young man he was also courageous, for he had “one occasion when a she-bear charged at him….but he killed the animal in the end” (Xenophon, 41). Cyrus was a man that believed in strong loyalty. One of the very first things he did when he took a position of power “was to make it clear that in any league or agreement or undertaking that he made he attached the utmost importance to keeping his word” (Xenophon, 41). This allowed people to gain trust in him. “The cities which were in his command trusted him and ...
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...ace personal consideration above the well-being of the multitude will lead to defeat for the government as a whole (Wu Ching, 69).
Overall, T’ai-tsung is a selfless man dedicated to his country and is willing to sacrifice much for the well being of it.
In conlusion, a great leader can be made in several ways. Some leaders use different methods than others, but overall these men reached their ultimate goals.
Bibliography:
Works Cited
Xenophen. “The Persian Expedition.” Ed. Rex Warner. Hammondsworth: Penguin, 1962. 91-95
T’ai-tsung, T’ang. “On the Art of Government.” Ed. Wu Ching. New York: Charles, 1975. 161-64.
Machiavelli, Niccolo. “The Prince.” Trans. S.G.W. Benjamin. n.p.: The National Alumni, 1907. 25-39
of Thebes. He was greatly respected by his people because he had ruled well during his reign as
Machiavelli?s model for his ideal prince was Cesare Borgia, also known as Duke Valentino and son of Pope Alexander VI. He believed Cesare Borgia possessed all the qualities of a prince destined to rule and maintain power in his state. He believed that politics has a morality of its own. There is no regard of justness or unjustness, of cruelty or mercy, of approval or humiliation, which should interfere with the decision of defending the state and preserving its freedom. Therefore, the ruler/prince's single responsibilit...
was an impatient ruler and wouldn’t hesitate to show his power. He was in great physical state
Countries rise and fall, but within this chaos is the certainty that new leaders will emerge to fill the shoes of those fallen. What is it that separates the great leaders from the lesser? This question weighed heavy on the minds of many great Renaissance thinkers due to the power that derives from this knowledge. In the 16th century, Niccolò Machiavelli sought out to answer this time worn question. It was in his publication of The Prince, that Machiavelli spread his cold and practical formula of how to rule. In The Prince, Machiavelli clearly states what characteristics great ruler have. These Machiavellian traits show themselves in the life of Alexander the Great and some of the traits used by Machiavelli were taken from Alexander’s style of ruling. Even though he lived before the creation of The Prince, much of Alexander’s success stems from his Machiavellian principles of war, deception, and his ability to absorb the culture of conquered territories by limiting changes in their government.
Kaltenmark, Max. Lao Tzu and Taoism. Translated by Roger Greaves. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1969.
How to become a successful and strong leader? What are essential characteristics that are imperative to become one? These questions were asked many centuries ago, as well as they are asked today. Niccolo Machiavelli wrote one of the most influential treatises on leadership that is still utilized in politics and management today. One of the defining conceptions he explores is locating a balance between being virtuous and righteous and practicing carefully selected deceit and cunning. Gilgamesh’s exhibition of leadership is much more primordial and archetypal, which is the product of different eras, where the notions of power and the state were at opposite ends of a spectrum, as were the structures that organize people. Although Gilgamesh fulfills most of the characteristics of Machiavelli’s definition of a strong leader, who is feared, has power and support of his comrades; he still has to improve his public image, which happens throughout his journey.
I would describe the Mesopotamians ideal of kingship as courageous and a shepherd of the people. The basis of the monarch’s legacy is his arrogance, courage, beauty, and god like self.
Alexander the Great might be by far the most impressive conqueror of the ancient world. He adopted the progression of an empire that his father Philip II started and then created a cross continental empire. Heavily influenced by his father’s success Alexander the Great adopted many of the skills, mental and military, that King Philip II had. During his thirteen years of rule he achieved more as a conqueror than any man before him was ever able to accomplish. Although his short-lived reign was great and effected many societies massively he didn’t have an heir that lived to adopt his empire from him to continue the domination of the world. This lead to him saying one of his most well known quotes “I leave it to the strongest”, which started a power struggle between his generals that lasted for years. All of these events were very significant and heavily influenced the following era.
The greatest leaders in history often leave behind some sort of legacy. Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Persian Empire around 500 B.C., which was the largest empire of its time (Cyrus II, the Great). The empire stretched from ancient Iran, and grew to include an area reaching from Greece to India (Persian Empire). Cyrus’ reign saw some of the first contacts between Persia and Greece, and helped Persia gain the political power that had once been held by the people of Mesopotamia (Cyrus, the Great). Cyrus the Great proved to be an effective leader who developed a strong military that was stationed strategically throughout the empire to stop rebellions and keep trade routes safe, treated captives like the jews kindly, and implemented an organized administration of government that included satraps who governed locally.
The most astounding aspect of The Prince is Machiavelli’s view that princes may indeed, be cruel and dishonest if their ultimate aim is for the good of the state. It is not only acceptable but necessary to lie, to use torture, and to walk over other states and cities. Machiavellianism is defined as “A political doctrine of Machiavelli, which denies the relevance of morality in political affairs and holds that craft and deceit are justified in pursuing and maintaining political power (Def.)” This implies that in the conquest for power, the ends justify the means. This is the basis of Machiavellianism. The priority for the power holder is to keep the security of the state regardless of the morality of the means. He accepts that these things are in and of themselves morally wrong, but he points out that the consequences of failure, the ruin of states and the destruction of cities, can be far worse. Machiavelli strongly emphasizes that princes should not hesitate to use immoral methods to achieve power, if power is necessary for security and survival.
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