The more accurate way to understand Machiavelli is that he was a career civil servant who loved his job and all its machinations...he loved “playing the game”. He had come down on the wrong side in one of the periodic wars of the day, and had been exiled from Florence back to his country estate. Think of him as a Washington careerist GS-ranker who had suddenly lost his job and been exiled all the way back to Bug Tussle, Iowa.
He did well in his exiled life, but wanted more than anything to get back in “the great game”...”The Prince” and “Discourses on Livy” are more than anything an open appeal to the new masters of Florentian power. Unfortunately for him (or fortunately, as the case may be), he was turned down cold.
| Ok, interesting. So Machiavelli had time on his hands to write about what he saw. I assumed he was one of the men in power. Didn't realize he had fallen from grace. I suspect that so many historical figures are widely misunderstood. People are comfortable with the simple narrative, but simple is not always correct. |