Machiavelli in Context | The Prince, 6–7: Virtù and Fortuna (Lecture 7)

Lecture 7: We first look at two terms that Machiavelli uses often, virtù (“virtue”) and Fortuna (“fortune”) and what they mean when he uses them. We then approach chapter 6, which concerns new principalities conquered through the prince’s own skill.

In it, Machiavelli will cite such diverse figures as Moses; Romulus, the legendary founder of Rome; Theseus, the legendary Athenian; and even Girolamo Savonarola, the Dominican friar who dominated Florentine politics immediately following the expulsion of the Medici in 1494.

Chapter 7, which deals with territories acquired by fortune or by the arms of others, is one of the most famous in The Prince. Here, Machiavelli introduces his readers to Cesare Borgia, often referred to as Machiavelli’s hero or role model for a modern prince. Machiavelli, while an ambassador for the Florentine Republic, had met Borgia, and certainly he admired many of Borgia’s “Machiavellian” traits.

Recommended Readings:
Machiavelli, The Prince, translated by Peter Bondanella, chapters 6–7.