Machiavelli in Context | The Life of Niccolò Machiavelli (Lecture 4)

Lecture 4: Machiavelli was born the year that Lorenzo de’Medici became the leader of Florence (1469) and died the year the Medici were exiled from Florence for the second time (1527). In the republican interlude between the Medici domination (1494–1512), Machiavelli led an active life as a part of Florence’s government. His most important writings were produced in the years after the Medici reestablished their rulership of Florence.

However, in this lecture we shall be concerned with more than Machiavelli’s career. I will present what we know about Machiavelli the man and why these personal elements are important when we analyze Machiavelli the thinker. Maybe we can come to some conclusion about why, in the most well-known portrait of Machiavelli, he has a smile as mysterious—though not as alluring—as another Florentine, Mona Lisa.

Recommended Readings:
Quentin Skinner, Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction.
Maurizio Viroli, Niccolò’s Smile: A Biography of Machiavelli.