Machiavellian Politics in Florence and Renaissance Italy (Machiavelli, Pt. 2)

Part Two of our series on Niccolò Machiavelli, itself part of a larger series, Foundations of Western Political Thought. In this video we explore the political world in which Machiavel operated. In Florentine politics, we see the domination of the Medici dynasty - Cosimo de' Medici and Lorenzo de' Medici - followed by the lackluster Piero the Unfortunate, a French invasion from King Charles VIII, the short-lived ruler of friar Girolamo Savonarola, the re-establisment of the Florentine republic - during which Machiavelli served as a diplomat - and then the restoration of Medici rule in 1512. A lively array of characters appear in this video, including King Louis XII, Rodrigo de Borja, turned Pope Alexander VI, Cesare Borgia, Ramiro d'Orco, and Giuliano della Rovere, who became Pope Julius II, the Warrior Pope. Machiavelli lived out the rest of his years in exile, during which time he published The Prince, The Art of War, and Discourses on Livy.

Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
2:18 - House of Medici
5:26 - Italian Wars
11:38 - Savonarola
15:40 - Diplomatic career of Machiavelli
18:40 - Cesare Borgia
32:18 - Pope Julius II
38:44 - Restoration of the Medici
41:16 - Machiavelli in exile

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Dr. Jonathan Barth received his PhD in history from George Mason University in 2014. He specializes in the history of money and banking in the early modern period, with corollary interests in early modern politics, empire, culture, and ideas. Barth is an Associate Professor of History at Arizona State University, and Associate Director of the Center for American Institutions at Arizona State University.

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Visit my website https://www.professorbarth.com/