Fri 5/3/2024 8:11 AM
Five hundred and fifty-five years ago today, on May 3, 1469, Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy. He came from a long line of attorneys and government officials, and at age 25, he carried on the tradition, taking a post in the office of the second chancery, which placed him in charge of producing all the official documents of Florence. Later, he was assigned multiple diplomatic missions during which he had a front row seat to the brutal fights for control of Italy among the wealthy and powerful of the era.
Machiavelli’s role in political life turned from diplomacy to action, when he decided that he would start a Florentine militia, which under his command conquered the city of Pisa in 1509. But just three years later, the Medici returned to Florence after exile, dissolved the Florentine republic, removed Machiavelli from office, and imprisoned and tortured him on accusations of conspiracy.
After years of war, political intrigue, and struggles for power, Machiavelli retired to his estate where he devoted himself to political writing—authoring treatises based on what he had observed about kings, and Popes, and generals and their quest for worldly power. His most famous work is The Prince, which is essentially an instruction manual for new rulers. And in his most famous line from The Prince he declares that:
“it is far safer to be feared than loved if you cannot be both.”
My questions for you today: What did Machiavelli mean by that? Was he right? And why does it matter?
Have a wonderful day.
