Machiavelli in Context | Discourses: The Qualities of a Good Republic (Lecture 17)

Lecture 17: Although Machiavelli dealt with the role of Fortune in The Prince, he takes up the issue again at the beginning of his second discourse. He considers claims that Rome was more lucky than skilled or virtuous in its stability and growth during several republican centuries. Machiavelli then considers Rome’s enemies and how their love of liberty is different from that of Christians of his day. Then, in his typical systematic way, he lists three ways to treat conquered people and contrasts how the Romans did this with how Italian cities like Florence acted in his own time.

Recommended Readings:
Machiavelli, Discourses on Livy, translated by Julia Bondanella and Peter Bondanella, Discourse II, preface–chapter 5.