Florentine Histories

THE ESSENTIAL WRITINGS OF MACHIAVELLI Edited and translated by Peter Constantine Introduction by Albert Russell Ascoli NEWYORK UNIVERSl1Y f VHII Uffvi• Library Via dei Bruni27 60139Firenze THE MODERN LIBRARY NEW YORK Selections from f LORENTINE HISTORIES Machiavelli'sfinal major work was writtenin the last fewyears of his life.In 1520, after eight years of exclusionfrom politics and liv ing in impoverishment on his form, Machiavelli was offered the post of historiographer of Florence by Cardinal Giulio de' Medici, who in 1523 was to become Pope Clement Vil The contract Giulio de' Medici offeredMachiavelli specified that it would be leftup to Machiavellito choose whether thiswork-"annalia et cronacas fiorentinas"-would be written in Latin or the "Tuscan tongue." Machiavellichose the elegant and modern Tuscan Italian in which he had writtenThe Prince, The Discourses, and his graceful works o/ prose and poetry. In Florentine Histories, Machiavelli,who for much of his life had been a sophisticatedFlorentine diplomat,could not refrainfrom producing a daring and at times highly critical rendition of Flo rence's history, much of which had been stamped by the Media; who had been extremely hostile to him. But Giulio de' Medici-Pope Clement VII-to whom the book was dedicated, was a Renaissance prince and patron of the arts, and was pleased with this work. PREFACE When I firstdecided to write down the deeds of the people of Florence within their city and without, it was my intention to begin my narra tion in the year of our Lord 14 34, when the Medici family,through the qualities of Cosimo and his father Giovanni, achieved power beyond that of any other family in Florence. I resolved to begin in 1434 be cause two excellent historians, Messer Leonardo d'Arezzo and Messer 1 Poggio, had narrated in great detail all the events that took place be forethat date. I read their histories diligently in order to ascertain the modes and methods they followed, so that by imitating them my own histories would meet with greater acceptance among readers. I noted that in their descriptions of all the wars waged by the Florentines against foreign princes and peoples, Messer Leonardo d'Arezzo and Messer Poggio were most diligent, but when it came to civil disorders and internal enmities and the effects these had, they were either en tirely silent or described them so briefly that readers could derive no use or pleasure from them. I surmise the reason for this could only have been that these historians judged these events to be so negligible I.Leonardo Bruni ( c. 13 70--1444), also called Leonardo d'Arezzo as he was born in the city of Arezzo, was a scholar and historian who wrote HistoriarumFiorentini popJJlilibri XII ( Twelve Books of the Historyof the Florentine People).Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini (1380--1459)was one of the foremost scholars of the early Renaissance. From 1453 until his death in 1459 he was Chancellor of Florence, during which time he wrote his history of the city. 318 · The Essential Writings of Machiavelli Selections from Florentine Histories . 319 freeing herself from the Holy Roman Empire, hav that they thought them unworthy of being recorded for posterity · after e been fortu or that they feared that the descendants of those they would have hact nate enough to adopt a form of government that would have main to criticize in their narration might be offended. Both reasons, how_ rained her united, I cannot think of a modern or ancient republic that u have been superior to her;4 she would have had a skill in produc �ver, seem to me entirely unworthy of great men (may their souls rest co ld and arms beyond compare. Even afterFlorence had expelled the m peace), for if anything in a history delights and instructs, it is that tivity ellines in such numbers that Tuscany and Lombardy were filled which is described in detail. If no other lesson is usefulto citizens who Ghib them,5 the Guelphs, along with those who remained in Florence, govern republics, then it is the lesson that reveals the reasons for the with hatreds and divisions within a city, so that the citizens who govern can still managed to draw from the city twelve hundred men at arms and gain wisdom fromthe perils of others and choose to remain united. twelve thousand infantry in the war against Arezzo a year before the If 6 every example of the workings of a republic can affect readers, then Battle of Campaldino. And in the war against Duke Filippo Visconti readers encountering examples of the workings of their own republic of Milan, when Florence had to make use of her riches and not her will be affected even more and derive more benefit. And if divisions in own weakened army, the Florentines spent three and a half million any republic have been momentous, those in Florence were momen florinsin the five years that the war lasted. When that war was over, not tous indeed. Most republics of which we know were co�tent with a content with peace, the Florentines marched on Lucca to give more 7 single division which, depending on circumstances, either furtheredo r evidence of their city's power. destroyed the republic; but Florence, not content with a single divi I cannot imagine why these divisions should not merit being de sion, has _had many. In Rome, as everybody knows, afterthe kings were scribed in detail. If our most noble historians refrained fromsuch de expelled a division between the nobles and the plebeians ensued, and scriptions so as not to offend the memory of those whose actions they this division preserved Rome until its ruin.2 The same was true of had to assess, they were mistaken, and showed little understanding of Athens and the other republics that flourished in the past. But in Flo the ambition of men and their desirn to perpetuate their own names rence there was first a division among the nobles themselves, then a di and those of their ancestors. It also escaped them that many who did vision between the nobles and the populace, and finally a division not have the opportunity to achieve fame through some laudable deed between the populace and the plebeians. It often happened that what strove to achieve it by contemptible means. Nor did they consider how ever faction gained the upper hand proceeded to split in two. These actions that have greatness in them, like the actions of governments divisions resulted in more citizens being killed and exiled, and more and states, however they are considered or whatever aim they have, families destroyed, than in any other city in history. And truly, in my seem to bestow on men more honor than blame. view no other example shows as effectively the power of Florence as Having given thought to these matters, I changed my original plan the example of these divisions, which would have been powerful and decided to start my history from our city's beginnings. But as it is enough to destroy any other great and illustrious city.3 But our city only seemed to become even greater, as the skill of the Florentines and 4. Afterthe Ghibelline faction, which supported the Holy Roman Emperor against the pope, was expelled from Florence (see following footnote), the Guelph faction split into the feud the strength of their wit and spirit enabled them to make themselves ing factions of the Neri (Black) and Bianchi (White). and their city great, so that those who remained free from evil influ 5. In 1266 Carlo d'Anjou defeated King Manfred of Sicily, who had asserted himself in Tus ence had more chance to exalt Florence than the dire circumstances cany and Lombardy as protector of the Ghibellines. The Florentine Guelphs then initiated the city faced had to diminish her and crush her. Should Florence, a mass expulsion of the Ghibellines fromFlorence. 6. The Battle of Campaldino (1289) between Florence, controlled by the Guelphs, and 2. With "ruin" Machiavelli is referring to the end of the Roman Republic. Machiavelli devel Arezzo, controlled by the Ghibellines, marked the beginning of the supremacy of the Flo rentine Guelphs over Tuscany. ops the idea of the destructive and regenerative qualities of divisiveness in a state in Dis courses,Book I, chapters 4-6. 7. Florence's war with Duke Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan lasted from 1423 to 1428, and 3. See Florentine Histories,Book III, chapter L that against Lucca from 1429 to 1433. 320 · The Essential Writings of Machiavelli Selections from Florentine Histories • 321 not my intentio where others have trod, I shall describ n to tread e in �. and King Roberto sent them as .general for their army Count detail only those incidents that occurred within the city up to 14 34.O 10 'b f Andria, known as Count Novello. Either because of the count s e- incidents outside the city, I shall report only what is necessary r fo a vior or because Florentines tend to findevery government irksome better understanding of what occurred within it. Beyond 14 34, I shall ccione, bllalld e;ery incident divisive, the city, despite the war with Ugu write in detail about both.Furt hermore, so that this history can be bet friends and enemies of the king. The leaders of the king's s lit into ter understood in all its periods, before I come to Florence I shall de p m es in Florence were Simone della Tosa, the Magalotti, and some ene i . scribe by what means Italy came to be under the powers that governed other powerful men, members of the populace, in all outnum benng it in those times.

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