Machiavelli Lecture Notes:
Video 1 (Machiavelli and His Contexts):
Within Machiavelli, there is a shift in focus from ethics to political discourse as a distinct activity
with its own rules/ principles
Machiavelli was born in 1469 in Florence and became a diplomat for the King of France,
Emperor Maximilian and the Papal court (where he befriended Cesare Borgia)
Machiavelli is one of the few political thinkers of history who was also engaged in the activity of
politics itself
1512- Upon the Medici return to power in Florence, Machiavelli was tortured
1552- Catholic Church banned much of Machiavelli’s work which increased its popularity
Renaissance Italy was formed of several smaller states each with its own relative degree of
autonomy
Politically, Florence was a territory of much instability due to the volatility of Medici rule (indeed,
in 1494, the Florence was abandoned by the Medicis due to an advancing French army)
Florence was later seized by the populist religious figure Savonarola
Medici family recaptured Florence with support from Pope Julius II and the Spanish army
Although Machiavelli was sentenced to death, he was saved by amnesty following the election
of Leo X as Pope (Leo X was still a Medici though)
Culturally, the Renaissance period is a time of revival; there is a rediscovery of ancient Roman/
Greek thought
Cochrane (1961): For Machiavelli, “morality simply did not hold in political affairs... any policy
based on the assumption that it did would end in disaster”
Isaiah Berlin (1971): “a Prince will likely be in tension with their moral/ religious principles”
Leo Strauss: Machiavelli “changed the moral climate of the West” --> decadent modernity
Video 2:
Mirrors For Princes' genre= literary genre which dates to the Roman era; it typically refers to
guidance books written for those exercising political office
Machiavelli’s writings emerge out of a rejection of normative approaches to politics (I.e., he
refuses to believe that politics should be contained in a moralistic framework)
Cicero’s De Officiis (On Duties) = similar to Machiavelli in acting as advice for how political
leaders should rule
Aquinas developed a distinctively Christian basis for government with his Natural Law Theory
(Aquinas’ key work= On Kingship)
Works before Machiavelli acknowledged violence/ war, but their ideas were always associated
with a common good, wise rule, security and a degree of cosmopolitanism (I.e., there is a higher
set of standards that all humans are geared towards accepting)
The Prince:
● C1-11= how principalities are acquired (including Papal states)
● C12-14= concerns merits of Mercenaries vs citizen armies (organization/ exercise of
political power)
● C15-19= cover (but also subvert) the princely virtues
● C20-25= cover practical advice to Prince on ruling
● C26= exhortation to liberate Italy (an attempt to win the favor of the Medicis?)
Video 1 (Machiavelli and His Contexts):
Within Machiavelli, there is a shift in focus from ethics to political discourse as a distinct activity
with its own rules/ principles
Machiavelli was born in 1469 in Florence and became a diplomat for the King of France,
Emperor Maximilian and the Papal court (where he befriended Cesare Borgia)
Machiavelli is one of the few political thinkers of history who was also engaged in the activity of
politics itself
1512- Upon the Medici return to power in Florence, Machiavelli was tortured
1552- Catholic Church banned much of Machiavelli’s work which increased its popularity
Renaissance Italy was formed of several smaller states each with its own relative degree of
autonomy
Politically, Florence was a territory of much instability due to the volatility of Medici rule (indeed,
in 1494, the Florence was abandoned by the Medicis due to an advancing French army)
Florence was later seized by the populist religious figure Savonarola
Medici family recaptured Florence with support from Pope Julius II and the Spanish army
Although Machiavelli was sentenced to death, he was saved by amnesty following the election
of Leo X as Pope (Leo X was still a Medici though)
Culturally, the Renaissance period is a time of revival; there is a rediscovery of ancient Roman/
Greek thought
Cochrane (1961): For Machiavelli, “morality simply did not hold in political affairs... any policy
based on the assumption that it did would end in disaster”
Isaiah Berlin (1971): “a Prince will likely be in tension with their moral/ religious principles”
Leo Strauss: Machiavelli “changed the moral climate of the West” --> decadent modernity
Video 2:
Mirrors For Princes' genre= literary genre which dates to the Roman era; it typically refers to
guidance books written for those exercising political office
Machiavelli’s writings emerge out of a rejection of normative approaches to politics (I.e., he
refuses to believe that politics should be contained in a moralistic framework)
Cicero’s De Officiis (On Duties) = similar to Machiavelli in acting as advice for how political
leaders should rule
Aquinas developed a distinctively Christian basis for government with his Natural Law Theory
(Aquinas’ key work= On Kingship)
Works before Machiavelli acknowledged violence/ war, but their ideas were always associated
with a common good, wise rule, security and a degree of cosmopolitanism (I.e., there is a higher
set of standards that all humans are geared towards accepting)
The Prince:
● C1-11= how principalities are acquired (including Papal states)
● C12-14= concerns merits of Mercenaries vs citizen armies (organization/ exercise of
political power)
● C15-19= cover (but also subvert) the princely virtues
● C20-25= cover practical advice to Prince on ruling
● C26= exhortation to liberate Italy (an attempt to win the favor of the Medicis?)
