Niccolò Machiavelli was one of the most influential political theorists of Western philosophy. The Renaissance or “rebirth” was a cultural movement that accompanied the passage of Europe from the Middle Ages to modern times. Born in Florence on May 3, 1469, Machiavelli was probably the most well known political theorist of his time, and maybe of all time. Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469-1527) was arguably the most influential political thinker of the Renaissance period. London: C. Kegan Paul, 1878. Somewhat romantic and intent on humanizing Machiavelli. To this day, the term “Machiavellian” connotes political deceit, scheming and unscrupulousness. Political Ideas of the Renaissance Niccolò Machiavelli The Prince Machiavelli believed: ... printing press and its impact on Protestant Reformation Review for SOLs . He applied the values of the Renaissance to his political treatise, The Prince. His most read treatise, The Prince, turned Aristotle’s theory of virtues upside down, shaking the European conception of government at its foundations. In a letter to Vettori, dated December 10, 1513, Machiavelli has left a description of his life in exile, at once so eloquent and so revealing as to the private character of the man that common fairness demands at least a short, condensed quotation. CEL 100 – Spring 2021 . To maintain power, he says, leaders should inspire fear rather than seek popularity. NOTES ON THE RENAISSANCE, MACHIAVELLI, AND THE PRINCE. Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian civic humanist, historian, diplomat, philosopher, politician, and writer during the Renaissance. And so we’ve arrived, all of a sudden, at “modernity.” A propos of which, since the name of Leo Strauss has come up several times in the course of our conversations, I’ve taken the liberty of tossing into your Files both a PDF of a very famous short essay of his from a half-century ago called “The Three Waves of Modernity.” The earliest Renaissance literature appeared in 14th century Italy; Dante, Petrarch, and Machiavelli are notable examples of Italian Renaissance writers. He served as a diplomat for the Republic of Florence from the… Since the time of its publication and until Viroli’s Niccolo’s Smile in 1998 in Italian and 2000 in English, the standard short biographical reference. The impact of contemporary events always falls upon the thinker and this is more prominent in the case of Machiavelli. NOTES ON THE RENAISSANCE, MACHIAVELLI, AND THE PRINCE. Machiavelli lived in or nearby Florence Tuscany his whole life, during the peak of the Renaissance movement, in which he took part. [This paper, the second of two, was first published in the September 21, 1927 issue of Commonweal.You can read the first paper here]. Machiavelli reflects the Renaissance values of secularism and realism, especially in his first and most well-known treatise, The Prince. The Life and Times of Niccolò Machiavelli. Translated by Linda Villari. His best-known work, Il Principle (‘The Prince’), later led to his name becoming synonymous with ruthless political machinations. From Italy the influence of the Renaissance spread at different rates to other countries, and continued to spread throughout Europe through the 17th century. Just think about the human-centered works of Leonardo da Vinci, for instance, or Machiavelli's political musings in The Prince to get an idea of Renaissance humanism. Villari, Pasquale. 2 vols. 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