Machiavelli’s The PrinceWhat is Machiavelli Up To?

1

Italy in Machiavelli’s time

• Italy was not a unified state – Collection of city-states, often at war

with one another– Invasions, overthrows of governments

were common– What’s more, various city-states would

ally with foreign invaders and help them invade neighboring city-states

• Italy was not unified for another 300+ years after Machiavelli’s time

Machiavelli’s background

• Lived 1469-1527; Writings: 1513-1527

• Lived in mostly Florence

• Government clerk, diplomat, responsible creating and commanding the Florentine militia

• The powerful (and infamous) Medici family overthrew the Florentine republic in 1513, Machiavelli tortured for his role in the anti-Medici war, sent into exile

• In exile, Machiavelli began writing political treatises

His description of this time

• “When evening comes, I return home (from work and from the local tavern) and go to my study. On the threshold, I strip naked, taking off my muddy, sweaty work day clothes, and put on the robes of court and palace, and, in this graver dress, I enter the courts of the ancients, and am welcomed by them, and there I taste the food that alone is mine, and for which I was born. And there I make bold to speak to them and ask the motives of their actions, and they, in their humanity, reply to me. And for the space of four hours I forget the world, remember no vexation, fear poverty no more, tremble no more at death; I pass indeed into their world.” (Letter to Francesco Vettori)

Quick Note on the Title “The Prince”

• Might usually might think of a prince as the son of a king or queen

• In this case, “Prince” - not necessarily the son of a king. Generally just an individual who has political power over a territory/people

Dedicatory Letter

• Why dedicate a work to someone?

• Who does he dedicate the work to?

• Lorenzo de Medici, current ruler of Florentine Republic. […]

Dedicatory Letter

• Read p. 5 “Those who wish…most often…”

• What gifts do people usually offer to rulers?

• What is Machiavelli offering? What does this imply?

• Is this advice to Medici or a challenge?

Dedicatory Letter

• Read ¶ p. 6 “I hope it will not be presumptuous…” (P. 6)

• What does this analogy about landscapes mean?

• This imagery gives us a clue as to what Machiavelli thinks he knows and what he is attempting to do with this book.

Acquisition• Principality = Country, state, city-state, etc. headed by a prince. That is, a

single, absolute ruler.

• Ways of acquiring a principality:

• Inheritance

• With the arms of others (mercenaries)

• With one’s own arms

• By fortune (luck)

• By virtue

• Question to consider throughout The Prince: What does M. mean by virtue? [Note: Italian “virtù,” used several ways by Machiavelli]

Hereditary Principalities

• Read page 7 (“Let us take a contemporary Italian example…”)

• Hereditary ruler: someone who has received the throne through monarchical succession

• Hereditary principalities… easier to maintain

• Why?

• M. will focus on new princes, not hereditary ones, almost exclusively throughout the book

New principalities

• Read pp.7-8

• First, what is a “new principality?”

• One that has just been established

• What does establishment of a new principality mean? How is it likely done?

• Conquering, invasion, etc. But ALSO winning over the populace (or at least the nobles)…

• “Men willingly change their lords in the belief they will fare better…” (p 8)

• What is M saying about human nature here?

• What is the problem with this characteristic of humanity, in his view?

The new prince doesn’t have many friends

• Machiavelli cites immediate difficulties with the newly conquered population:

• You’ve made enemies during your invasion. Why?

• You can’t satisfy your friends who helped you invade. Why?

How to win over the population

• Problem: People are loyal to old bloodlines. Solution?

• “Eliminate” the old bloodline (p 8, 9)

• Problem: People hate change. Solution?

• Keep laws/taxes the same (p 9)

Even more problems

• The previous solutions only work in non-diverse states. What about other kinds of states? Read silently to yourselves p. 9 – 10. Then, consider these questions:

• When there are disparate languages, customs, it is difficult to hold a state. Why?

• What does M suggest are some good ways to solve these problems?

When People Give You Trouble, Machiavelli Has Advice for You

• “People should either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage they will get their revenge; but if you cripple them there is nothing they can do. If you injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance.” (p 9-10)

Desire for acquisition is natural

• Read p. 13 (first full paragraph)

• Remember, when M. speaks of “acquisition,” he is generally speaking of taking over territory.

• When those who can acquire, succeed in doing so, what do they get?

• Praise. Or, at least, not blame

• When those who can’t acquire, try and fail, what do they deserve?

• Condemnation. Why?

• What does this suggest about Machiavelli’s moral views regarding invasion and conquest?

The problem with republics• First, what’s a republic?

• What’s the problem with acquiring republics?

• “accustomed to living under their own laws and in freedom” (17)

• “But in former republics, there is more vitality, more hatred, more desire for revenge. The memory of their former freedom gives them no rest, no peace.” (18)

• Three ways to hold them:

1. Lay them to waste

2. Live there in person

3. Leave them to live under their own laws, but create oligarchy to rule, and take tribute.

• But which of these is actually secure, according to Machiavelli?

What is this guy up to?• Now that you’ve read (hopefully) the first few sections of this book, you should be

getting an idea of what M is doing.

• Realism vs. Idealism

• Idealism: Plato, Aristotle, etc

• Machiavelli, the first realist

• Idealism = “ought” ; Realism = “is”

• While idealist theory tells us what one should do from a moral standpoint (“ought”), Machiavelli, as a realist, focuses on what people actually do (“is”).

• This is not to say that there isn’t a kind of morality at work in Machiavelli, but it is simply not of the idealist type. He has an end in mind and, as we will see, it isn’t at all a purely selfish one. He doesn’t think that people are reformable though.

Questions to consider• What does Machiavelli mean by “virtue” [virtù]?

• How does it differ from Plato’s meaning?

• Is this book sincere advice to Lorenzo de Medici?

• One alternate possibility: He is letting the masses in on secrets that the ruling elite already knows. Evidence for this: he wrote The Prince in Italian rather than in Latin, the language of the elite. More on this later.

• For the most part, I will approach this work as though it is sincere advice, though perhaps not actually directed at Lorenzo de’ Medici. Regardless, we won’t lose much either way in interpreting the work. However, it may affect your judgment of Machiavelli himself.