Comparing Machiavelli And The Prince - 902 Words

Dave Licause European History Machiavelli and the Prince Machiavelli is one of the greatest and most widely recognized humanist authors. Machiavelli received a classic middle class renaissance humanist education. The Prince most apparent departure from the humanist narrative is the separation of politics and ethics. Machiavelli, in the Prince, creates the first modern political treatise. Machiavelli had an interest to practically deal with the creation of a new government in Florence by the Medici’s, following the fall of the Florentine republic. Machiavelli saw the need for a unified Italy, one that could resist the encroachment of other empires onto Italian soil. Machiavelli also rooted his treatise in concrete examples from recent†¦show more content†¦The intense political pressures of the time led to widespread violence, corruption, and strife. Machiavelli lived through multiple French invasions of Italy, and was intimately involved in Florentine political life. He served as a chancello r in the Florentine government from 1497 to 1512. He served diplomatic missions where he became involved with other political leaders of the time. However, in 1512 the Medici’s rose to power, ending the republic and Machiavelli’s political career. The Prince was directly influenced by Machiavelli’s desire to reconcile with the Medici to once again enter the Florentine political sphere. With The Prince, Machiavelli created a new, modern political treatise. He made sure to differentiate his ideas from earlier Humanist political works. He mainly did so through his use of concrete, contemporary examples as the root of his argument. This was a less theoretical approach than political theories before it. Modernist intellectuals used concepts of ideal states to justify political actions, but Machiavelli argued it was through the shrewdness of its leader that a nation state could survive. The most prominent example that Machiavelli uses is Caesar Borgia. He had been involved with Louis VII of France who arranged for Borgia’s rise to power in Rome. He described Borgia, despite losing his control of Rome, as having, â€Å"taken