| Title | : | Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0060817178 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780060817176 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 256 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2007 |
In this discerning new biography, Ross King rescues Machiavelli's legacy from caricature, detailing the vibrant political and social context that influenced his thought and underscoring the humanity of one of history's finest political thinkers. Ross King's Machiavelli visits fortune-tellers, produces wine on his Tuscan estate, travels Europe tirelessly on horseback as a diplomatic envoy, and is a passionate scholar of antiquity—but above all, a keen observer of human nature.
Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power Reviews
-
I feel sorry for Nicolò Machiavelli for he was a bit of a fool. During his life he made repeated political blunders betting several times on the wrong people. Highly sophisticated his political thinking certainly was, but it did not match well enough his choices in life. They attest a poor political intuition. Out of the wide array of writings he has left us, the historical and political treatises have enjoyed the highest acclaim. In particular
The Prince became the bible for the politician for generations: from Cromwell to Hitler and caused the word ‘Machiavellian’ to be coined when referring to unscrupulous cunning. And yet, reading about his life one can easily see that he was not Machiavellian enough for he let his own personal admirations blind his political vision.
So it was, for example, with his admiration for Cesare Borgia, the second illegitimate son, and the right hand, of Pope Alexander VI. Machiavelli thought of him as the model for leaders, an individual who identified his goals fast and who would not waver when pursuing them. But what Machiavelli had not understood is that personal excellence and abilities are not sufficient. In corrupt systems, a political godfather is vital. The qualities admired by Machiavelli in Cesare were good for nothing when his father suddenly died and was succeeded by Alexander’s enemy in Rome: Giuliano della Rovere, or Julius II the “Warrior Pope”.
Machiavelli was baffled. How could someone who had done everything right fall, while someone who was the opposite, succeed?
He made a similar wrong call with Lorenzo di Piero di Medici, a grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Not only had Machiavelli opposed the powerful Florentine family when its representatives had something to show for themselves, but when they came back to power, Machiavelli chose to “fix on his hopes for advancement, as well as the hopes of all Italy” on this “self-indulgent imbecile who had never enjoyed a moment’s quiet, philosophical reflection in his life”. It was to this Lorenzo that Machiavelli dedicated his The Prince.
Lorenzo di Piero di Medici
As a witness of the period during which the Florentine political arena, caught in the middle of the ambitions of Rome, the Milan Duchy, the Naples Kingdom, and the French and Aragonese Kings, period which unfolded as a fast game of Snakes&Ladders, Machiavelli gave a lot of thinking to the nature of Fortune. What it was, how it functioned and how to deal with it?
He had observed that throughout history varying situations could produce the same results while similar approaches could lead to divergent consequences. His conclusion was that people differed greatly and that one could not change one’s nature (“men are unable to master their own natures”). Machiavelli, in the Nature versus Nurture dilemma, responded more as a psychologist than a sociologist.
During the Renaissance these doubts approached one to a more dangerous arena, that of Free Will. This together with other aspects brought about the inclusion of The Prince in the Index Librorum prohibitory only 25 years after its publication.
As one of his most famous precepts was that “the end justifies the means” one of Machiavelli’s pet-projects was the creation of a militia for Florence. Traditionally, the small city-states in Italy had recourse to the condottieri or hired mercenaries. As Florence functioned more like a corporation of traders and financiers than as truly political unit, the occasional employment or subcontracting of these professional soldiers seemed the most convenient solution. The mercenaries proved often too mercenary, however. And Florence was, during Machiavelli’s time and with the expulsion of the Medici, trying to set its own political machinery as a fully-fledged professional government. A Florentine militia made a lot of sense.
What made less sense was how Machiavelli set himself to organize it. Even if he had penned
The Art of War, he was neither a soldier nor a military engineer. His inspiration came from his extensive reading of Latin treatises. As he kept the Roman modes of fighting as his models he found the contemporary use of artillery inadvisable. His way of training the soldiers could not have been that soldiery when the capitano of the Black Nights, the admired Giovanni delle Bande Nere, challenged Machiavelli to drill his 3000 men in the manner described in his Art of War, led to complete chaos.
Giovanni delle Bande Nere (also a Medici)
No wonder then that when the Florentine militia faced the French army, the Italians were annihilated. If Italy had given birth to the cultural Renaissance and humanism, the modern military machinery of the Renaissance was fashioned by the French. They had a formidable force fully trained, fully experienced, fully armed, fully equipped, and of a professional brutality unmatched by the pageant-like battles to which the Italian states were accustomed. Canons faced a corps with limited artillery. So it was not until a similar military power to the French showed a parallel interest in Italy, that the French halted in their advance. Machiavelli did not foresee this.
This book has been an excellent introductory read in my interest to understand more of Niccolò Machiavelli. It is mostly dedicated to his life and the harsh and complex political scenario of his times. Discussion of Niccolò’s works is also very well interspersed in the narrative. I have liked Kings language better than in
Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture, but one still feels that he is not in full command of the period. For example, I have missed a discussion of the figure of King Ferdinand of Aragon, who seems to have been one of the models for The Prince. He also mentions that there was a “rumour” that the Duke of Bourbon, in the sack of Rome, had been killed by a musketball fired by Benvenuto Cellini. Rather than a “rumour” it was Cellini himself who claimed this in his
The Autobiography Of Benvenuto Cellini which I have read recently.
Knowing a bit more of the context in which Machiavelli wrote his books, I plan now to explore more his writings and theories.
But the main conclusion which I have drawn from King’s account, is that Niccolò Machiavelli had a lucid practical mind but that he lacked the practical knowledge to put it into practice.
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
16/9/2014
I am afraid I will have to write a PD to this review based on what I am reading now. -
Before reading this biography, I knew the Machiavellian personas of The Prince and Renaissance drama, and I was also aware that the real Machiavelli was a multi-talented statesman who wasn't nearly as villainous as his later reputation...but that was about it. I had no idea that he wrote bawdy poetry and plays, that he created and trained a (ultimately unsuccessful) citizen militia, that he was imprisoned and tortured, that he wrote the Prince after his forced retirement, or that he had a wife and several children (but don't worry, he seems to have forgotten them too, greatly preferring travel and the company of prostitutes).
I also learned more about Leonardo da Vinci's warfare engineering, some very nasty popes, and the deliciously, disgustingly ruthless Cesare Borgia (after reading Mirror, Mirror last year I promised myself that I would read a biography on the Borgias and I still haven't; shame on me).
I'll admit that I zoned out during a few sections on treaties and military maneuvers, but it was a very interesting and informative book overall and I'm quite glad that I read it. -
انتهيت حالاً من الكتاب..في الحقيقة أسعدكثيراً حين تسنح لي الفرصة لأكتب انطباعي فوراً حال انتهائي من قراءة عمل ما..لعل الأسماء والأماكن أتعبتني بعض الشيء فالسيرة الذاتية حافلة بالأسماء والتواريخ والأحداث المتلاحقة ولا عجب فهي أشبه بدراسة منها لرواية..وحين يحكي الإنسان سيرته الذاتية يشوب حكايته التأثر والانفعال بخطواته حلوها ومرها لكن حين يكتبنا الآخرون يروننا من منظورهم هم أو من منظور الآخرين..
أعود إلى مكيافيللي ذلك الرجل اللغز الذي عامله كثيرون بكثير تأفف لأنه شرير أو داعية شر..جعلتني قراءة سيرته الذاتية أشفق عليه أحياناً وأتساءل هل لو كان عقل مكيافيللي العبقري هذا عاش في عصر أقل حدة ومع بشر أكثر سمواً وارتفاعاً على المطامع السياسية..هل كان سيختلف ؟..لا أدري..
أعجبتني الخاتمة أيما إعجاب لا لشيء إلا لأنه في النهاية تعددت وجهات النظر حول مكيافيللي من ناحية والأهم من ذلك أن كتابه الأمير تمت قراءته بالعديد من وجهات النظر وحظى بالكثير من الرؤى السياسية وغير السياسية وهذا إن دل فإنما يدل على أن القارىء -كما أقول دائماً-شريك أساس في الإبداع وأنه لا علاقة ثابتة بين مايقصده الكاتب وما يفهمه القاريء..فالاستقبال من الأهمية بمكان تماماً مثل الإرسال..
تحياتي -
This is a short one volume biography by an author who has written extensively about Renaissance Florence. The main strand of Machiavelli’s life is recounted effectively. The last portion of the book covers his time out of power, during which he wrote The Prince, The Discourses, and his other classics. Ross King obviously knows a lot about Machiavelli and the literature on his life and works. He is especially effective in discussing his literary works and how they may or may not link to his political and historical works.
The is a well done and easy to read biography on an exceptionally important thinker. There are other recent biographies that are more detailed and provide more analysis of Machiavelli’s ideas as expressed in his work. This biography is a really good starting point for looking at his life and works very well if an introduction to Machiavelli is sought. It is engaging and well worth reading. -
"It was easy to find oneself on the wrong side of the ruler-du-jour in 16th-century Italy, which was controlled by corrupt families and defended by contract soldiers whose loyalties were readily purchased. Machiavelli ventured into this world with his diplomatic acumen, then, when he fell out of favor, turned his ambitious mind to brutal political writings, satirical plays and the occasional courtesan. A theoretician of conspiracy and duplicity, he was also a brilliant observer of his times. Sympathizing with Machiavelli, King provides a convincing portrait of one of the most misunderstood thinkers of all time. Machiavelli's writings shed a dark light on the man, but less so when set against the tapestry of Florence's Palazzo della Signoria. King's book is everything a short biography should be and more, due to King's sharp wit and zesty anecdotes: "As the document was being signed, a dove came through the window and flew over the heads of the Ten. The dove then crashed into a wall and fell dead at the feet of the Ten, but its appearance was still considered a good omen." It provides a strong sense of the history of both the man and his times and a nice introduction to Machiavelli's writings. Moreover, like one of Machiavelli's bawdy plays, it is a riveting and exhilarating read, full of salacious details and brisk prose. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
-
Fascinating and very readable short biography of either the most evil political theorist ever, a bitter humorist who wrote satirically about abuses of power, or an early feminist, depending on whom you believe. He certainly contradicted himself repeatedly in his many writings, and his life itself was equally full of contradictions. I had no idea that he was a fairly important politician and ambassador for the city of Florence, that he fell into and out of power depending on who was ruling at any given time, that he personally knew Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Pope Julius II, Cesare Borgia, and even had audiences with the King of France. Vivid descriptions of the mayhem caused all over Italy by roving bands of ruthless thugs (condottieri) who sold their services to the highest bidder and were always open to betrayal if a better offer could be found. Machiavelli had little to choose from between men like this, or men like the businessmen in Florence who ran the governing council, and who never made a decision if they could put it off, constantly vacillated, and accomplished nothing.
-
What else can I say about Ross King's books that I haven't said already? This book, like his others, was an interesting and exciting read. I continue to be amazed at the author's detailed research, his ability to discern fact from fiction, and present the facts in a comprehensive manner that tells the whole story of the subject, their work, and the world around them.
-
Title: Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power (Eminent Lives)
Author: Ross King
Price: Rs 462.39 /-
Format: Kindle Edition
File Size: 547 KB
Print Length: 258 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins e-books; Reprint edition (13 October 2009)
Sold by: Amazon Asia-Pacific Holdings Private Limited
Language: English
There isn’t an uncomplicated way to initiate reviewing a book of this kind. Here stands an author, who tenders unwrapped support to politicians to take and proffer bribes, defraud, swindle, intimidate, and even slay if obligatory. Then again, one would do well to remember that ‘The Prince’ didn't see the light of day until about two centuries after the death of Machiavelli. While the foremost part of when he was alive, very few people even knew about it. Machiavelli, to the best part of the masses was a stunted, scheming politician and a second rate playwright, more than anything else. Again, in all fairness it can be said that Machiavelli left a remarkable authority on the modern age. Princes like Frederick the Great were in effect Machiavellian, although they fervidly disavowed Machiavelli.
Art historian Ross King provides a venerable prologue to the life and struggles of Machiavelli. More than anything, this journalistic foreword proves to the reader that in no scheme of political philosophy the sway of milieu is furthermore apparent than in that of Machiavelli. Niccolò was by no means ceremonial. Arising out of a modest middle-class environment, he served as a diplomat for the Republic of Florence, enjoying restricted eminence as the author of coarse plays. Noverthelss, he was to the core of his heart a true Florentine, a man concerned with practical politics and the art of statecraft. In both of his celebrated works, thus, he deals with a) the rules for the acquisition, expansion and maintenance of power, b) with the causes of rise and fall of States and, c) the means by which statesmen can keep themselves in power. The subject matter of both of his books 'Prince' and 'Discourses' is thus, fundamentally the same -- the promotion of a more scientific statecraft; the art of acquiring power and the craft of retaining it.
King begins his discussion with the young Machiavelli, who at the tender age of 29, in 1498, was put up as the leader of the Second Chancery. This granted him charge of the city's foreign affairs. The modern epoch in political thought was ushered in by two forces at work in Europe in the 15th century - Renaissance and Reformation. In the medieval age, people mused on matters of spirit, deliverance and God. Renaissance made ‘man’ the theme of study instead of God. However, despite the fact that renaissance had made appearance in Italy, Machiavelli's epoch was also called an epoch of "bastards and adventurers." It was a society academically brilliant and artistically ingenious, while at the same time, a casualty to the nastiest political dishonesty and relapse where not only was brutality, sly and assassination the standard method of Government, but might and dexterity were the means to triumph. King shows, how Machiavelli stood his ground until Florence was beguiled by the Medicis, who had been ousted in 1494. Machiavelli personally supervised the conscription and exercise of mercenaries in order to combat the Medicis. His army, if truth be told, was routed. With the patronage and support of the papal militia of Rome, the Medicis proved insuperable. Reclaiming Florence in 1512, they dismissed Machiavelli and may have also subjected him to physical torture.
The reader would do well to remember that George Holland Sabine in his classic work ‘A History of Political Theory’ avows that Machiavelli, in an odd sense is the ‘political theorist of the masterless man’. At the head of the 16th century the monarchist retort had swept the democratic tendencies of the concilior movement. In the Church, the Pope had become absolute, while on the secular side, unlimited monarchy was overriding feudal aristocracy. It was known as ‘the period of the strong man’. Despite this, during this century, Italy was divided into five States -- Naples, Milan, Venice, Florence and the Papal State. Some of these like Venice and Florence were republics and despots ruled others. Internal anarchy was rampant. Machiavelli chose to intriguingly side with the Medicis. King shows the dynamics of the progression through which Machiavelli sucked up to the Medicis. His "The Prince" was dedicated to a Medici.
King states that one of the greatest contributions of Machiavelli lies in the fact that he amalgamated political theory with political practice, following the empirical method of observation and experience. The part that the State has played in modern politics is an index of the clearness with which Machiavelli grasped the drift of political evolution. His political philosophy was realistic, mirroring the conditions of the moment. He was ready to sacrifice the peace and solidarity of humanity at the altar of an efficient national state and as such was one of those who are chiefly responsible for the growth of modern nationalism.
Personally, his life was one of potholed alliances and broken commitments. His gargantuan infidelity was a source of abundant pain to his wife. Machiavelli held the Church to be principally responsible for the putrid state of affairs. He is said to have remarked: "We, Italians, owe to the Church of Rome and to her priests our having become irreligious and bad. The Church has kept and still keeps our country divided." In such times of current and cross currents Machiavelli’s contribution was the most remarkable which gave the Italian nation not only the doctrines of sustenance and predominance but lasted for along time in future political analysis. All the same, King shows that Machiavelli was not free from inconsistencies in his thought. If in accordance with Machiavelli, man is intrinsically selfish, unsocial and inept of doing good, how can he agree to lower his private interests to public interests. Moreover, the need for security (an ample cause for the State coming into existence) would barely give an explanation for its continued subsistence and ever escalating activities.
In fine, King’s non-academic style of narration, underscores the verity that Machiavelli was a true Florentine nationalist with artistic designs for the republic's foreign policy in the voracious pitch of Renaissance Italy. It is an exceedingly comprehensible portrait.
A 4 on 5 I’ld say. -
الكتاب يحكي حياة نيقولا مكيافيللي ,تناول حياته الاجتماعية و تعمق خاصة في حياته السياسية.ولد مكيافيللي في فلورنسا التابعة لايطاليا لعائلة من الطبقة المتوسطة ,احب القراءة و العلم,التحق بالتيار السياسي في عمر مبكر,و كان اهلا للمسؤولية التي على عاتقه فقد عمل كديبلوماسي و قام بالعديد من البعثات .
-
I think Machiavelli's writings have been taken much too seriously. I think he wanted to be part of the "In" crowd (the Medici family, the pope, or a combination of the two). So he wrote whatever he thought would gain him entrance into the rarefied corridors of power. I think he really had no idea what he was talking about. His treatises on warfare & combat were outdated even before they were printed. I think he just wanted 1. to make some money & 2. to be "somebody." It makes me laugh that so many world leaders - Hitler included - looked to Machiavelli's works as a guideline for how to attain & keep power. It's like the Emperor's new clothes, but one sure as heck doesn't laugh at the end.
-
أجد مكيافيللي إنسان شُغل بصناعة مجده الشخصي عن طريق تقديم كل ما في جُعبته من حيل وأفكار أدبية وعسكرية وغيرها بما حظى به من العلوم التي تلقاها قبل إلتحاقة كسكرتير ثانِ وهو منصب دبلوماسي وسياسي، والعلوم التى درسها ومارسها على أرض الواقع بحكم إلتحاقه بالعمل العام في سن صغيرة نسبياً، أجد فيه الطموح والمجون والشر معاً، أقحم نفسه في العديد من المشاكل بسبب المُداهنة والنفاق أحياناً ليبلغ ما يريد من تثبيت كرسيّه الحكومي في فلورنسا بصفة خاصة وإيطاليا أو الدولة الكَنسية بصفة عامة.
-
Solid, well written and concise, virtues similar to those of King's books about Michelangelo and Brunelleschi. However, those two dudes were hugely more talented and interesting than Machiavelli, so the book about the latter ends up being on the dull side.
-
Another interesting insight in the the era of da Vinci, Michelangelo and Machiavelli and renaissance Florence. Machiavelli was not at all what I expected considering his reputation for writing The Prince
-
I have recently developed an interest in Machiavelli. His name is a regular part of our lexicon – Machiavellian – but I had never actually read any of his works. After reading The Prince, I have been delving into his other works, most notably Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius. I have also become intrigued with period after viewing the Showtime series “The Borgias”, in which Machiavelli is a secondary character. Along the way I stumbled across this short biography by Ross King, Machiavelli, Philosopher of Power.
This is a straightforward, chronological biography of a man of prodigious talents. Not only was Machiavelli an important political philosopher, but he was also a diplomat, military engineer, militia captain, poet, playwright, composer, troublemaker, womanizer, and roué. King does a commendable job of walking us through the many intrigues, twists and turns of last 15th and early 16th century Italy in which Machiavelli was involved. There are many names and places that figure throughout that requires some time to master, but worth the effort.
The key takeaway offered by King is that Machiavelli was a man of many contractions. He wrote a manual on how to be a successful prince, yet strongly believed that men could not change their character and that their lives were determined by the vicissitudes of Fortune. He was a very modern thinker yet often consulted astrologers and fortune tellers. He was a defender of republicanism yet worked directly with some of the most authoritarian leaders of the time.
For the lay reader, King’s biography is an excellent introduction to this complicated man. King does not delve into the scholarly debates that still rage today, though he does alert the reader to where controversy exists. Meanwhile, we conclude the book with an excellent sense of the man and the times. -
#4 del año. Es Machiavelli: Philosopher of War de Ross King. Me encanta cómo escribe Ross King porque tiene el don de tomar temas que pueden ser densos y aburridos y narrarlos como una novela. Aquí nos cuenta la vida, el contexto, las condicione en que Niccolo Machiavelli "Machia" desarrolló una obra que fue mucho más allá del conocido El Príncipe. Machiavelli, cuyo nombre hoy en día es sinónimo de una condición más bien negativa en política, de la astucia tracalera que muchas veces despreciamos, no fue como tantos lo pintan. Fue un hombre que vivió una época intensa, en la que Florencia, su república se debatió entre la dictadura y la libertad. Fue testigo de grandes cambios, de guerras. Estuvo en el centro de las negociaciones que definieron Europa. Su ascenso fue tan vertiginoso como su caída. Conoció al Papa Borgia, a Julio II, al Papa Medici. Los vio ascender y caer y reflexionó sobre una gran cuestión filosófica, la cual se me hace casi imposible responder: Somos el resultado de la fortuna o de la voluntad. Y por qué las mismas decisiones tienen resultados distintos para dos hombres. Al final del día, ¿Construimos nuestro destino o todo está escrito?
.
.
.
#LoQueAmé: Ver otra cara de una figura y de una obra tan significativa para la política al día de hoy. Conocer a su autor es entender mejor la obra. Era brillante. Astuto. Mordaz. Quedé con ganas de leer sus obras de teatro. El libro es conciso y fácil de leer. .
.
.
.
#LoQueNoMeGustóTanto: No es la obra más fluida de Ross King. #recomiendoleer #politics #blogger #amorporloslibros -
من المفترض أن يكون هذا الكتاب هو سيرة ميكافيللي الذاتية لأفاجأ بأن هناك العديد من الفترات الزمنية المجهولة في سيرته والباقي كان تحليلا وضعه الكاتب وفق منظوره دون سرد كامل للأحداث مما لايدع للقاريء مجال لوضع تحليلاتهم وفهمهم الخاص.
لايوجد ما يبين بأنه كان رجلا شريرا متسلطا أو رجلا مثقفا أسيء فهمه. ولكن ما استغربته حقا هو عمله كمستشار وشهرته من وراء كتاب الأمير وبعض المطارحات رغم أن حكام فلورنسا لم يأخذوا باستشارته أبدا واعتمدوا دوما نهجهم الخاص، ولم يملك خبرة عملية في الحروب والقيادة العسكرية، كما أن كتابه اعتمد بعض النماذج الإنسانية المعدودة. طبعا هذا كله وفقا للكاتب روس كينج.
نفى الكاتب أيضا صفة الأديب عن ميكافيللي عندما قال بأن العديد من أطروحاته ومسرحياته ماهي إلا إعادة كتابة لأعمال
أدبية روماني��!
عوضا بأن أتسأل عن ميكافيللي إن كان شخصية مستبدة أم إنسانا وطنيا أصبحت أتسائل إن كان تحليل الكاتب صحيحا أم لا!!!
لذلك أفضل قراءة الترجمة الحرفية لكتاب الأمير والوصول لتحليلي الخاص وذلك ما أنصح به الآخرين -
كتاب فيلسوف السلطة ميكافيلي من سلسلة سير العظماء تحت مظلة مشروع كلمات عربية الناشئ لمؤسسة محمد بن راشد وهو مشروع جبار من وجهة نظري, اللغة والترجمة تستحق بعض الاهتمام الواضح في الكتاب ترجمة راقية نوعاً ما . صدقاً حمدت الله أن قرأت سيرت ميكافيلي قبل أن اقرأ كتاب الأمير أو أي من كتاباته حتى يتسنى لي أن احكم على شخصيته جيداً هل هو ظل شيطان على الأرض كما يطلق عليه أم مجرد منافق يحاول بشتى الطرق ثبيت قدميه على البلاط الملكي كأغلب شخصيات الرعاع في التاريخ . هذا الكتاب فصلني عن الواقع نقلني بين ميكافيلي وليوناردو ومايكل أنجلو وكل شخصيات عصر النهضة العظيمة والمؤثرة في الحضارة البشرية ,ميكافيلي كان كمن صعد السلم لآخر درجاته ثم هوى لكن حظه ( العفريت ) أنقذه الكتاب يستحق كل ثانية تقضيها في قرأته حتى أنه ظهر لي تأثر كاتب قيم أوف ثرونز بهذا العصر من شخصية كاترينا وحادثة الزفاف الدموي وغيرها أحسست بالرهبه كيف أن ما نراه أسطورة الآن كان في يوم من الأيام واقع وأسلوب حياة
-
Full credit to the author for changing my 1-dimensional view of Machiavelli into a much broader understanding of the man behind "The Prince".
Unfortunately, as a student of neither Italian nor History, a lot (and I mean a LOT) of this book just flowed around my ears without so much as entering my consciousness. Whole intrigues and wars were fought and I couldn't tell you who was in them, but thankfully the author would frequently put it into context by telling us what it meant to Machiavelli himself. What's most fascinating about the book is that it only partially "excuses" the writing of The Prince by contextualizing it. It seems that 500 years later people still don't understand why he wrote it, why it disagrees with many of his other writings or his own actions and whether or not it is a work of genius or evil (or both).
I guess it's time to read The Prince! -
Niccolo Machiavelli was a true Renaissance Man according to this volume. It is sized in such a way that it is shorter than it seems at first glance. Thus, it is simple to plow through it in a single sitting. Machiavelli's most famous work is also his most controversial. In advising Princes to ignore ethics and morality in their dealings with other nations earned him a name synonymous with evil and duplicity.
Ross King's main thesis of this book is to explore the life and times of Machiavelli in order to explain his hardened stances on politics. The book illustrates the political realities of 15th century Europe quite well. With a fractured Italy and a horribly weak government, it is hardly a surprise that he supports such ideals. -
This is a good companion book to the Great Course on Machiavelli (by Dr. Bill Cook). It supplies quite a bit more historical information from letters and such so that you understand the times and the political players better. In particular I appreciated the dozen years or so when Machiavelli was working in different political roles prior to writing "The Prince". You can see where his experience informs his writing.
I was less interested in Machiavelli the bawdy playwright, although he was more known for that during his lifetime than his political expertise.
Fascinating also how the changing times denied Machiavelli reentrance into the political arena. Associating with the Borgia family (thru working with Cesare Borgia and his father Pope Alexander VI) poisoned the well against him when they fell from power. The Medici family returned to power, primarily thru Pope Julius II, and even though Machiavelli would have been happy to serve again, he was deemed too close to the exiled Borgias to be trustworthy.
It is unwise to judge a man strictly from one book, especially a short book that is easily taught to college students. Thus it is difficult to understand Machiavelli from merely reading "The Prince". This book, plus the Great Course did a good job of presenting a more rounded understanding of Niccolo Machiavelli. -
I enjoyed this book. Ross King writes very well, and has a very good grasp of Machiavelli. I don't believe this book to be a scholarly contribution to the study of Machiavelli, but rather a readable summary of his life and thoughts. I've read The Prince, and was interested to learn about what created Machiavelli, and transformed him into such a reviled figure. He was an important figure, but one whom the shifting fortunes of 16th century Italy frequently cast aside. He was a womanizer, funny, and smart. He was not evil, but more a reflection of his times. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Machiavelli or the time in which he lived.
-
Maquiavelo resulta en esta biografía una especie de Gabriel de Araceli, un testigo de excepción de la impresionante situación historica del cinquecento italiano. Por las páginas de esta biografía de un político florentino de segunda, desfilan los grandes nombres de la época: Leonardo, los Borgia, Julio II, Carlos V, Luis XII y Francisco I, Lutero y Maximiliano, el Gran Capitán, los Sforza, los Medici, Savonarola...
Es una especie de excusa para pintar el fresco renacentista. Por lo demas es curioso co mo la práctica política de Maquiavelo no resultó tan exitosa como sus teorías publicadas. -
We all know the name. I decided it was time to discover the man. He turns out to be a complex character who lived during turbulent times. Imagine knowing Leonardo da Vinci and acting as the peace broker or war monger for various tyrants , depending on circumstances while negotiating personal surviving while dealing with power crazy Popes, kings, mercenary condottieri, and other greedy leaders of city states, then one can understand how he came to write The Prince.
