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In eight books, Niccolò Machiavelli tells the history of his city from the fall of the Roman Empire to the death of Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent, in…
In eight books, Niccolò Machiavelli tells the history of his city from the fall of the Roman Empire to the death of Lorenzo de' Medici, the Magnificent, in 1492. He traces how Florence was torn by factions, Guelphs and Ghibellines, nobles and people, and how the Medici rose to power, and he describes vividly events such as the revolt of the wool workers, the Ciompi, in 1378, and the Pazzi conspiracy of 1478, when Lorenzo's brother was murdered in the cathedral during Mass.
Context and significance
Machiavelli (1469–1527) was commissioned to write the history by Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, and presented it to him in 1525, when he had become Pope Clement VII. Writing for the family that had removed him from office, he had to balance truth and tact. Read his The Prince.
About the author
Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) served the Florentine republic for fourteen years as a senior official and diplomat, meeting kings, popes and the ruthless Cesare Borgia. When the Medici family returned to power in 1512 he lost his post, was imprisoned and tortured, and retired to his small farm outside Florence.
There, in the evenings, he put on his best clothes to read the ancient historians, and wrote The Prince, his Discourses on Livy and the comedy The Mandrake. His frank description of how power really works made his name a byword for cunning, but he was also a passionate defender of republics.