Nicolás Machiavelli: biography, work and contributions

Nicholas Machiavelli (Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli) was an Italian diplomat, political philosopher and writer of the Renaissance. Likewise, the author is considered the father of Modern Political Science.

Among the most representative works of him is Prince, which is one of the first of a political nature of Modernity.

Machiavelli's legacy has had a great influence on later political thought and has managed to stand the test of time. But what are the most relevant books of him? What were her main contributions?

Let's meet one of the most representative figures of the Italian Renaissance.

Biography

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli he was born on May 3, 1469 in a small town near Florence in a family related to the nobility, although impoverished.

Although little information is known about his youth, it is known that during this stage he had a humanistic education.

In 1498 he began to work for the republic as Secretary of the Second Chancellery and of the "Ten of the War" to take charge of foreign affairs.

Later, in his work as a diplomat, he led the war against Pisa. In 1502 he married Marietta Corsini, with whom he had more than six children. Also, that same year, his first diplomatic work in France took place at the César Borgia embassy.

In 1503 he left for Rome after the death of Pius III. A year later, he carried out a second diplomatic mission in France. In 1506 he began to work in the delegation in front of the court of Julius II and, shortly after, he was appointed Chancellor of the "Nine Officers" of the Florentine militia. For a period of 6 months, Machiavelli led the embassy before Emperor Maximilian I.

Around 1511 his last mission as a diplomat took place in France and a year later he was removed from all his posts and forced into exile in Florence.

During this secluded period in his home, Machiavelli wrote Prince (1513) and Speeches on the first decade of Tito Livio (1513-1516), poem Golden ass (1517), Belphegor archidiablo (1519) and Of the art of war (1521), the only treatise he published in his lifetime.

In the year 1526 he returned to enter into political activity for a short period of time since a year later, in 1527, he died in Florence.

Main works

Prince

It is the most important work of the author, also, it is key to understanding his political thought. Prince It was written during his period of exile in 1513 and is inspired by César Borgia.

In the book Machiavelli has the need to explain what are the most effective methods to found a state, seize power, or maintain it, regardless of moral or religious considerations.

One of the purposes of The pprince es the description of a theory that offers an idea of ​​what the ideal ruler would look like. To do this, the diplomat lists a series of essential traits that characterize a good politician, among them the following stand out:

• Manipulation, making use of the necessary means to achieve the ends
• Tenacity and cunning to avoid obstacles
• Immorality, must be above good and evil
• Wit, unscrupulous
• Expert in deception

In this way, Prince it supposes the exposition of a set of strategies to be followed by any ruler who wishes to achieve and retain political power.

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Discourse on the first decade of Tito Livio

Written between 1512 and 1517, Discourse on the first decade of Tito Livio It is another of the great works that make us understand Machiavelli's political thought. However, it is often compared to Prince since it seems to contradict here some assumptions that he defends in his most popular work.

Unlike what happens in PrinceIn this book, Machiavelli defends a republic with free and equal citizens. Likewise, the republic stands as the ideal political system, since it is the only one that guarantees the common good and leads to equality.

Of the art of war

This work by Machiavelli has its origin in 1520 and is a military treatise destined for Lorenzo Filippo Strozi. It is structured in the form of a dialogue and developed in seven chapters, in which Machiavelli makes a critique towards the military art of the time and offers his proposals and strategies in relation to the political field and military.

The purpose of this work is to comprehensively address how the military policy of the rulers should be. To ensure his stability as ruler, he must put all his efforts to build a strong military apparatus.

Contributions

These are some contributions of Machiavelli in relation to political thought:

The method

It is one of the most innovative contributions of Machiavelli. It is related to the author's way of analyzing political reality. Unlike how it was done previously, Machiavelli follows an empiricist system. Something unusual among the ideologues, theologians and moralists of the time. For this, he starts from a realistic base, and abides by human behavior and the political situation as they are and not as they should be.

Analysis of the political elements

He highlighted the political elements that needed to be studied. With this, the philosopher tried to describe a form of stable and permanent state. Likewise, he set out the necessary instructions to obtain power and keep it.

Leaders' behavior analysis

In his work Prince he establishes the characteristics of a good ruler and how he must behave in order to aspire to be the best. In his view, this is achieved through cunning, intelligence or pragmatism.

Separation between Church and State

In this sense, Machiavelli shows the influence and political force that the Church had had on the State up to that moment.

Quotes by Nicholas Machiavelli

There is an adjective that is usually used to describe attitudes similar to those that Machiavelli defends throughout his works, this is "Machiavellian". The word is used to refer to someone or something that is "cunning or deceptive."

Also, the author is wrongly attributed the phrase "the end justifies the means", since this statement sums up his thinking very well. However, there are quotes that he did mention in his books, these are some of them:

• "Never try to win by force what can be won by deception."
• "Nothing great was ever achieved without danger."
• "He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command."
• "It is better to act and repent than not to act and repent."
• "Skill and perseverance are the weapons of weakness."

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