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Niccolo Machiavelli The Renaissance produced a new breed of thinkers into society. These new thinkers were called humanists, and they revived the old works of Greek and Roman philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle. For the first time in centuries, people began to think for themselves. Among these humanists was Niccolo Machiavelli. Machiavelli was a controversial humanist writer whose realistic depiction of politics and leadership have set him apart from other Renaissance humanists. Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence on May 3, 1469.
Machiavelli showed an inclination towards politics, and in June of 1498, the Florentine government employed him as a correspondent for foreign policy and military. This job required a lot of responsibility, and Machiavelli regarded it seriously. Although this job commandeered much of his time, he found time to marry Marietta Corsini in 1501, and they had 6 children. In November of 1512, Machiavelli s good fortune faded. He was dismissed from the government, and falsely accused of conspiracy three months later. He was kept for 22 days, made to endure torture on the rack, and exiled.
It was during his exile that his most famous works, The Prince and The History of Florence, were written (they were not published until after his death). He died on June 21, 1527, and was buried in Florence. Machiavelli s works were very controversial in their time and continue to be to this day. The Prince, which is probably his most debated piece, was written as a handbook for political leaders. His approach to the issue is extremely blunt, and it caught many people off guard. Machiavelli justifies his realism and lack of sentimentality by arguing that his interest is things as they are, not as they are idealistically imagined or wished to be Machiavelli was clearly a man of complex character.
Although he was an ethical and moral man, as in humanist nature, his writings had earned him a reputation that said otherwise. He was frequently referred to as Old Nick (a nickname for Satan), and in modern English, the word Machiavellian refers to a person who is of cunning and unscrupulous nature. Outwardly, he did appear to be a thinker, and was described by his good friend Leonardo DaVinci as, Of Middle height, slender figure, sparkling eyes, rather small head, a slightly aquiline nose, a tightly closed mouth; all about him bore the impress of a very acute thinker He could not easily rid himself of the sarcastic expression continually playing round his mouth and flashing from his eyes. Machiavelli was a brilliant writer and politician, and his views can be seen in times both past and present. His shocking realism made his work the center of an ongoing controversy, but we can see many qualities of Machiavelli s ideal prince, as written in his book, in the world leaders of history. Machiavelli was different from other humanists; his words focused on the way the world was, while others talked about how it should be.
Although his controversial and realistic depiction of leadership and politics earned him an unjust reputation, it also made him stand out from the other humanist writers of the Renaissance.
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Research essay sample on Niccolo Machiavelli Realistic Depiction Humanists
