Niccolò Machiavelli

4 Pages 949 Words

Niccolò Machiavelli was an important figure during the Renaissance period. He was an Italian statesman, leader, historian, writer, and political theorist who’s life and career has been very influential and has led me to do research on him. The information in this paper is intended to inform the reader of the life and legacy of this Renaissance philosopher.
The birth place of Niccolò Machiavelli was in Florence Italy. He was born on May 3rd 1469 into a Tuscan family that was surrounded by politics. His father was a known lawyer and he grew up during the “golden age” in Italy. He lived a simple childhood in Florence, and he first encountered politics when he was young watching the Savanarola trial which was an important trial in Florence during that time. Later in 1494, he served as a clerk, and four years later he was promoted to secretary and chancellor of the second chancellery of the Florentine Republic in 1498. As chancellor his duties included taking missions to foreign states, composing and summarizing reports, carrying on diplomatic correspondence, and executing the policy decisions of others. Some of his most important duties included missions to the French king (1504, 1510-1511), the Holy See (1506), and to the German emperor (1507-1508). One of his contributions to his state was in the military defense of the Republic of Florence. In 1510, he was inspired by his reading of Roman history, so he organized a citizen militia for the Republic (http://www.biography.com). He organized this citizen militia for three years (1503-1506). In 1502 Niccolò married Marietta Corsini at the age of 31, and later they had two daughters and four sons. He later retired in 1512, and in 1513 he re-retired.
Although he accomplished a lot, he was still surrounded by controversy. In August 1512, a Florentine family, the Medici, rose to power and eventually the republic fell. On November 7th he lost his position and was later arrested. After t...