Niccolo Machiavelli

Birth

May 3, 1469

Niccolo Machiavelli was born in 1469. He was born into an influential family, and quickly got involved in Florencian polotics. He became a clerk in 1494 (egs.edu).

Early Life

Jan 1, 1475

Machiavelli received a good education at a young age. He was a student under Paolo da Ronciglione, and likely went to the University of Florence. He received a good humanist training, which likely influenced his works in later life (stanford.edu).

Onin War Ends

Jan 1, 1477

In 1477, the eleven year long Onin War in Japan ended. It had been caused by arguments over who would succeed Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa, as the shogun had first named his brother heir to the throne, but then named his son heir after his son's birth. The end of the Onin War marked the beginning of Sengoku Jidai, a century long period in which local disciplined armies known as Ikki formed, and family feuds caused chaos in Japan (samurai-archives.com).

Conspiracy Against the Medici Family

Jan 1, 1478

In 1478, the Pazzi, a rival banking family of the Medici, conspire to assassinate Lorenzo Medici and his brother, Giuliano, as they prey in church. Conspiring with the Pazzi are the archbishop of Pisa and Pope Sixtus IV's nephew. When the Pazzi take action, they kill Giuliano, but let Lorenzo escape with only a wound. All the conspirators are dead by nightfall, which leads to the excommunication of Lorenzo, and problems between the pope and the Medici (historyworld.net).

Discovery of the Americas

Aug 3, 1492

Christopher Columbus received funding for a westward voyage from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. The goal of this voyage was to see if there was an efficient trade route between Europe and Asia by travelling west, across the Atlantic Ocean. Columbus set off on his voyage from a Spanish port in 1492. His fleet consisted of three ships: the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria, and they discovered the Americas in 1493 (Beck et al. 483).

Exile of the Medici

Jan 1, 1494

King Charles VIII of France marches on Florence, and Piero Medici, in fear of being conquered, meets with Charles to make peace. Piero ends up giving the ports of Pisa and Livorno to the French, and the signoria protest. When he goes to meet them, the Medici Palace gets mobbed, and the Medici Family is exiled from Florence (historyworld.net).

Treaty of Tordesillas

Jun 7, 1494

In 1494, the Spanish Pope Alexander VI drew a meridian 100 leagues west of the Cape Verde Islands. He decreed that all newly dicovered lands west of the line were to belong to Spain, and all lands east of the line went to Portugal. Portugese King John II met with the two Spanish monarchs, and made a compromise that the line be moved further west, giving Spain more room to maneuver in Asia, as the line went all the way around the world. This became known as the Treaty of Tordesillas (about.com).

Inspiration from Cesare Borgia

Jun 1, 1502

Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, was known for being a cruel commander. Mahiavelli watched Cesare's cruelty allow the man to expand between 1502 and 1503. Cesare is now believed to have been one of the inspirations for the ideas shared by Machiavelli in "The Prince" (egs.edu).

Internal Exile of Machiavelli

Dec 20, 1512

In 1512, the Medici family dissolved the republican government in Florence. Machiavelli was first put into internal exile, then was imprisoned and tortured when he was incorrectly accused of conspiring against the Medici in 1513. Afterwards, Machiavelli pulled out of politics, and focused more on writing literature (stanford.edu).

"Il Principe"

Dec 1, 1513

By the end of 1513, Machiaveli finished writing one of his greatest and most well known novels, "The Prince". It was not actually published until after Maciavelli's died in 1527 (the book was published in1532). "The Prince", talks about how fear works better than affection when ruling, and the ruler must constantly maintain his power in order to become successful (stanford.edu).

Other Works of Literature by Machiavelli

Period: Jan 1, 1517 to Dec 31, 1527

Many works were written by Machiavelli from 1517 to 1527. He wrote three plays, "The Mandrake" in 1518, "Clizia" in 1525, and "Andria" in 1517. He also wrote the book "Belfagor arcidiavolo", in 1527 (egs.edu).

"The Discourcses on the Ten Books of Titus Livy"

Jan 1, 1519

Niccolo Machiavell finished writing "The Discourses" around 1519, and it was published in 1531. Like "The Prince", the book was published after Machiavelli's death. Also similiar to "The Prince" is the subject matter. Just like in "The Prince", Machiavelli writes about the ideal government, but in "The Discourses", he focuses more on French politics and government (stanford.edu).

Ferdinand Magellan's Journey Around the World

Period: Sep 1, 1519 to Sep 6, 1522

Ferdinand Magellan received funding from Charles I to attempt a voyage westward to find an efficient route to the Spice Islands. 270 men on 5 ships set off in1519, and in 1522 only 18 men arrived back in Spain on 1 boat. This was said to be Magellan's great journey around the world, but Magellan didn't actually live to see the ned of the voyage, because he died April 21, 1521 in the Battle of Mactan, a battle between two rival tribes (about.com).

The Art of War

Dec 20, 1519

From 1519 to1520, Machiavelli shared his republican ideas in "The Art of War". The book is about how to "how to acquire and maintain military force", and also shares his thoughts on how the people should fight for their liberty, because he believed that "people are more likely to defend liberty than those in power." Machiavelli also greatly advised against the use of mercenary armies, as they had no real loyalty to the people they were fighting for (egs.edu).

Getting in Good with the Medici, Again

Jan 1, 1520

In 1520, Machiavelli was made official historian of Florence by the pope. The pope also gave him the project of writing the history of Florence, which he completed and showed to the pope in 1525. For this he was made the inspector of all Florentine fortifications. He was starting to gain the favor of the Medici again (egs.edu).

Death

Jun 21, 1527

The Medici family lost power again in 1527. Niccolo Machiavelli died June 21, 1527 at age 58. Today, Machiavelli's immoral thoughts on how to rule are remembered with the invention of the word "Machiavellianism", which refers to someone who rules wiout morality (egs.edu).