Diplomatic History of Europe 1500 - 2000 | Renaissance Statecraft in Italy (Lecture 3)

Lecture 3: The sparkling city-states of Renaissance Italy saw not only a rebirth of culture and the arts but also pioneered patterns of modern diplomacy that were of lasting significance down to our times, including representation by resident ambassadors. The complicated rivalries between Milan, Venice, Florence, the Papal States, and Naples produced a key example of the balance of power until the disaster of 1494, when invasions by other outside powers battered the Italian system. The controversial political teachings of diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli sought to restore what had been lost, and in the process paradoxically broke with earlier doctrines of international politics and morality.

Essential Reading:
Machiavelli, The Prince.

Supplementary Reading:
Garrett Mattingly, Renaissance Diplomacy.
Maurizio Viroli, Niccolò’s Smile: A Biography of Machiavelli.