![]() Between 20, he lost his father, got divorced, remarried in secret, found religion, and defended Napster in his war against a tyrannical music industry infrastructure. Xenophon author of the Cyropaedia, purportedly a biography of Cyrus the Great, but actually an exploration of how an ideal ruler should be educated.At the turn of the millennium, the party seemed to be over for Prince. Machiavelli proposes that Alexander imitated the example of Achilles, the legendary Greek warrior who appears in Homer's Iliad Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.), the great Roman general and emperor, imitated Alexander and Scipio Africanus (circa 236-183 B.C.), another great Roman general, imitated Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian empire. Philopoemen (253-184 B.C.) Greek general and leader of the Achaean League he defeated Nabis the Spartan on several occasions.Īlexander Alexander the Great. This leads him into the theme of the next segment of the book, the behavior and character of the prince. ![]() He closes the chapter with a discussion of personal qualities of the great leaders of history. In this humanist tradition, Machiavelli draws many of his examples from classical history, blending them with lessons from contemporary events. The humanist scholars of the Renaissance deeply valued the study of history, particularly the histories of classical Greece and Rome, and the imitation of their precepts. Mental exercise involved studying history. While he may be exaggerating somewhat, he makes the point he first made in Chapter 3, that the prince must always be thinking about future events and preparing for potential problems. Machiavelli also sees it as an opportunity for reconnaissance. Hunting was one of the favorite pastimes of the Middle Ages and Renaissance and was widely recommended as good exercise. Machiavelli recommends both physical and mental discipline to keep the prince sharp. More importantly, Machiavelli argues for carrying a big stick, because no one can expect an unarmed man to command one who is armed. In the cutthroat world of Italian politics, an unarmed prince would quickly be undone by his more rapacious neighbors. Military prowess was a very real way to get to the top in Machiavelli's day. Unlike most Italian princes of their day, they relied on their wealth and their diplomatic skills, rather than weapons, to secure their power. This observation is sometimes interpreted as a warning to the Medici family, who were notable for their lack of military leadership. The Sforzas were uppermost in Machiavelli's mind in this respect, having gone from commoners to dukes in only one generation because of their skills as mercenary soldiers, only to go from dukes to commoners in the next generation. Before leaving the topic of armies, Machiavelli has some parting comments for those princes who become too soft to tend to military matters. By studying their precepts in good times, the prince will be ready when fortune changes.Ĭhapter 14 marks the end of Machiavelli's discussion of armies and the beginning of his exploration of the prince's character. Great leaders have always tried to emulate the qualities of those worthy examples who preceded them. A prince should always be asking himself how to make the best military advantage of the landscape.Ī prince should also exercise his mind by reading the histories of great men and how they waged war, in order to imitate them. Hunting is excellent exercise, because it strengthens the body and makes the prince more familiar with the surrounding terrain. Even in peacetime, a prince must concentrate on war by exercises and by study. Therefore a prince who does not understand military matters will not be able to work well with his soldiers. No one can expect an armed man to obey an unarmed one. If princes become too refined to study this art, they lose their states.īeing unarmed makes others contemptuous of you. Knowledge of war is so vital that it not only keeps princes in power but can make princes out of private citizens. The study of war should be a prince's main goal, for war is a ruler's only art.
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