Machiavelli: Philosoph der Macht

by Ross King

The Prince, Niccolò Machiavelli's handbook on power—how to get it and how to keep it—has been enormously influential in the centuries since it was written, garnering a heady mixture of admiration, fear, and contempt. Its author, born to an established middle-class family, was no prince himself. Machiavelli (1469-1527) worked as a courtier and diplomat for the Republic of Florence and enjoyed some small fame in his time as the author of bawdy plays and poems. Upon the Medici's return to power, however, he found himself summarily dismissed from the government he had served for decades and exiled from the city where he was born.

In this discerning new biography, Ross King rescues Machiavelli's legacy from caricature, detailing the vibrant political and social context that influenced his thought and underscoring the humanity of one of history's finest political thinkers. Ross King's Machiavelli visits fortune-tellers, produces wine on his Tuscan estate, travels Europe tirelessly on horseback as a diplomatic envoy, and is a passionate scholar of antiquity—but above all, a keen observer of human nature.

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Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Italy, Politics, Renaissance

Perfect Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Ross King (July 16, 1962 -) is a Canadian novelist and non-fiction writer.
He began his career by writing two works of historical fiction in the 1990s, later turning to non-fiction, and has since written several critically acclaimed and best-selling historical works.

King was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada and was raised in the nearby village of North Portal. He received his undergraduate university education at the University of Regina, where in 1984 he completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in English Literature. Continuing his studies at the University of Regina, he received a Master of Arts degree in 1986 upon completing a thesis on the poet T.S. Eliot. Later he achieved a Ph.D. from York University in Toronto (1992), where he specialized eighteenth-century English literature.

King moved to England to take up a position as a post-doctoral research fellow at University College, London. It was at this time that he began writing his first novel.

For Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling, King was nominated in 2003 for a National Book Critics Circle Award. Brunelleschi’s Dome was on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, the Boston Globe and the San Francisco Chronicle, and was the recipient of several awards including the 2000 Book Sense Nonfiction Book of the Year.

He lectures frequently in both Europe and North America, and has given guided tours of the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence and of the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

King currently lives in Woodstock, England with his wife Melanie.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Reviews

[Kalliope · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel sorry for Nicolò Machiavelli for he was a bit of a fool. During his life he made repeated political blunders betting several times on the wrong people. Highly sophisticated his political thinking certainly was, but it did not match well enough his choices in life. They attest a poor political intuition. Out of the wide array of writings he has left us, the historical and political treatises have enjoyed the highest acclaim. In particular The Prince became the bible for the politician for generations: from Cromwell to Hitler and caused the word ‘Machiavellian’ to be coined when referring to unscrupulous cunning. And yet, reading about his life one can easily see that he was not Machiavellian enough for he let his own personal admirations blind his political vision.

So it was, for example, with his admiration for Cesare Borgia, the second illegitimate son, and the right hand, of Pope Alexander VI. Machiavelli thought of him as the model for leaders, an individual who identified his goals fast and who would not waver when pursuing them. But what Machiavelli had not understood is that personal excellence and abilities are not sufficient. In corrupt systems, a political godfather is vital. The qualities admired by Machiavelli in Cesare were good for nothing when his father suddenly died and was succeeded by Alexander’s enemy in Rome: Giuliano della Rovere, or Julius II the “Warrior Pope”.

Machiavelli was baffled. How could someone who had done everything right fall, while someone who was the opposite, succeed?

He made a similar wrong call with Lorenzo di Piero di Medici, a grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent. Not only had Machiavelli opposed the powerful Florentine family when its representatives had something to show for themselves, but when they came back to power, Machiavelli chose to “fix on his hopes for advancement, as well as the hopes of all Italy” on this “self-indulgent imbecile who had never enjoyed a moment’s quiet, philosophical reflection in his life”. It was to this Lorenzo that Machiavelli dedicated his The Prince.



Lorenzo di Piero di Medici

As a witness of the period during which the Florentine political arena, caught in the middle of the ambitions of Rome, the Milan Duchy, the Naples Kingdom, and the French and Aragonese Kings, period which unfolded as a fast game of Snakes&Ladders, Machiavelli gave a lot of thinking to the nature of Fortune. What it was, how it functioned and how to deal with it?

He had observed that throughout history varying situations could produce the same results while similar approaches could lead to divergent consequences. His conclusion was that people differed greatly and that one could not change one’s nature (“men are unable to master their own natures”). Machiavelli, in the Nature versus Nurture dilemma, responded more as a psychologist than a sociologist.

During the Renaissance these doubts approached one to a more dangerous arena, that of Free Will. This together with other aspects brought about the inclusion of The Prince in the Index Librorum prohibitory only 25 years after its publication.

As one of his most famous precepts was that “the end justifies the means” one of Machiavelli’s pet-projects was the creation of a militia for Florence. Traditionally, the small city-states in Italy had recourse to the condottieri or hired mercenaries. As Florence functioned more like a corporation of traders and financiers than as truly political unit, the occasional employment or subcontracting of these professional soldiers seemed the most convenient solution. The mercenaries proved often too mercenary, however. And Florence was, during Machiavelli’s time and with the expulsion of the Medici, trying to set its own political machinery as a fully-fledged professional government. A Florentine militia made a lot of sense.

What made less sense was how Machiavelli set himself to organize it. Even if he had penned The Art of War, he was neither a soldier nor a military engineer. His inspiration came from his extensive reading of Latin treatises. As he kept the Roman modes of fighting as his models he found the contemporary use of artillery inadvisable. His way of training the soldiers could not have been that soldiery when the capitano of the Black Nights, the admired Giovanni delle Bande Nere, challenged Machiavelli to drill his 3000 men in the manner described in his Art of War, led to complete chaos.


Giovanni delle Bande Nere (also a Medici)

No wonder then that when the Florentine militia faced the French army, the Italians were annihilated. If Italy had given birth to the cultural Renaissance and humanism, the modern military machinery of the Renaissance was fashioned by the French. They had a formidable force fully trained, fully experienced, fully armed, fully equipped, and of a professional brutality unmatched by the pageant-like battles to which the Italian states were accustomed. Canons faced a corps with limited artillery. So it was not until a similar military power to the French showed a parallel interest in Italy, that the French halted in their advance. Machiavelli did not foresee this.

This book has been an excellent introductory read in my interest to understand more of Niccolò Machiavelli. It is mostly dedicated to his life and the harsh and complex political scenario of his times. Discussion of Niccolò’s works is also very well interspersed in the narrative. I have liked Kings language better than in Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture, but one still feels that he is not in full command of the period. For example, I have missed a discussion of the figure of King Ferdinand of Aragon, who seems to have been one of the models for The Prince. He also mentions that there was a “rumour” that the Duke of Bourbon, in the sack of Rome, had been killed by a musketball fired by Benvenuto Cellini. Rather than a “rumour” it was Cellini himself who claimed this in his The Autobiography Of Benvenuto Cellini which I have read recently.

Knowing a bit more of the context in which Machiavelli wrote his books, I plan now to explore more his writings and theories.

But the main conclusion which I have drawn from King’s account, is that Niccolò Machiavelli had a lucid practical mind but that he lacked the practical knowledge to put it into practice.


MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

16/9/2014

I am afraid I will have to write a PD to this review based on what I am reading now.

[Helga · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Was Machiavelli a teacher of evil or was he a man misunderstood?

This book portrays Machiavelli, the 16th century Florentine theorist and political philosopher, his life, career and his controversial book.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this biography, I knew the Machiavellian personas of The Prince and Renaissance drama, and I was also aware that the real Machiavelli was a multi-talented statesman who wasn't nearly as villainous as his later reputation...but that was about it. I had no idea that he wrote bawdy poetry and plays, that he created and trained a (ultimately unsuccessful) citizen militia, that he was imprisoned and tortured, that he wrote the Prince after his forced retirement, or that he had a wife and several children (but don't worry, he seems to have forgotten them too, greatly preferring travel and the company of prostitutes).

I also learned more about Leonardo da Vinci's warfare engineering, some very nasty popes, and the deliciously, disgustingly ruthless Cesare Borgia (after reading Mirror, Mirror last year I promised myself that I would read a biography on the Borgias and I still haven't; shame on me).

I'll admit that I zoned out during a few sections on treaties and military maneuvers, but it was a very interesting and informative book overall and I'm quite glad that I read it.

[Marks54 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short one volume biography by an author who has written extensively about Renaissance Florence. The main strand of Machiavelli’s life is recounted effectively. The last portion of the book covers his time out of power, during which he wrote The Prince, The Discourses, and his other classics. Ross King obviously knows a lot about Machiavelli and the literature on his life and works. He is especially effective in discussing his literary works and how they may or may not link to his political and historical works.

The is a well done and easy to read biography on an exceptionally important thinker. There are other recent biographies that are more detailed and provide more analysis of Machiavelli’s ideas as expressed in his work. This biography is a really good starting point for looking at his life and works very well if an introduction to Machiavelli is sought. It is engaging and well worth reading.

[د.حنان فاروق · Rating 3 out of 5]

انتهيت حالاً من الكتاب..في الحقيقة أسعدكثيراً حين تسنح لي الفرصة لأكتب انطباعي فوراً حال انتهائي من قراءة عمل ما..لعل الأسماء والأماكن أتعبتني بعض الشيء فالسيرة الذاتية حافلة بالأسماء والتواريخ والأحداث المتلاحقة ولا عجب فهي أشبه بدراسة منها لرواية..وحين يحكي الإنسان سيرته الذاتية يشوب حكايته التأثر والانفعال بخطواته حلوها ومرها لكن حين يكتبنا الآخرون يروننا من منظورهم هم أو من منظور الآخرين..
أعود إلى مكيافيللي ذلك الرجل اللغز الذي عامله كثيرون بكثير تأفف لأنه شرير أو داعية شر..جعلتني قراءة سيرته الذاتية أشفق عليه أحياناً وأتساءل هل لو كان عقل مكيافيللي العبقري هذا عاش في عصر أقل حدة ومع بشر أكثر سمواً وارتفاعاً على المطامع السياسية..هل كان سيختلف ؟..لا أدري..
أعجبتني الخاتمة أيما إعجاب لا لشيء إلا لأنه في النهاية تعددت وجهات النظر حول مكيافيللي من ناحية والأهم من ذلك أن كتابه الأمير تمت قراءته بالعديد من وجهات النظر وحظى بالكثير من الرؤى السياسية وغير السياسية وهذا إن دل فإنما يدل على أن القارىء -كما أقول دائماً-شريك أساس في الإبداع وأنه لا علاقة ثابتة بين مايقصده الكاتب وما يفهمه القاريء..فالاستقبال من الأهمية بمكان تماماً مثل الإرسال..
تحياتي

[MashailGhammas · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It was easy to find oneself on the wrong side of the ruler-du-jour in 16th-century Italy, which was controlled by corrupt families and defended by contract soldiers whose loyalties were readily purchased. Machiavelli ventured into this world with his diplomatic acumen, then, when he fell out of favor, turned his ambitious mind to brutal political writings, satirical plays and the occasional courtesan. A theoretician of conspiracy and duplicity, he was also a brilliant observer of his times. Sympathizing with Machiavelli, King provides a convincing portrait of one of the most misunderstood thinkers of all time. Machiavelli's writings shed a dark light on the man, but less so when set against the tapestry of Florence's Palazzo della Signoria. King's book is everything a short biography should be and more, due to King's sharp wit and zesty anecdotes: "As the document was being signed, a dove came through the window and flew over the heads of the Ten. The dove then crashed into a wall and fell dead at the feet of the Ten, but its appearance was still considered a good omen." It provides a strong sense of the history of both the man and his times and a nice introduction to Machiavelli's writings. Moreover, like one of Machiavelli's bawdy plays, it is a riveting and exhilarating read, full of salacious details and brisk prose. (June)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating and very readable short biography of either the most evil political theorist ever, a bitter humorist who wrote satirically about abuses of power, or an early feminist, depending on whom you believe. He certainly contradicted himself repeatedly in his many writings, and his life itself was equally full of contradictions. I had no idea that he was a fairly important politician and ambassador for the city of Florence, that he fell into and out of power depending on who was ruling at any given time, that he personally knew Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Lorenzo the Magnificent, Pope Julius II, Cesare Borgia, and even had audiences with the King of France. Vivid descriptions of the mayhem caused all over Italy by roving bands of ruthless thugs (condottieri) who sold their services to the highest bidder and were always open to betrayal if a better offer could be found. Machiavelli had little to choose from between men like this, or men like the businessmen in Florence who ran the governing council, and who never made a decision if they could put it off, constantly vacillated, and accomplished nothing.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What else can I say about Ross King's books that I haven't said already? This book, like his others, was an interesting and exciting read. I continue to be amazed at the author's detailed research, his ability to discern fact from fiction, and present the facts in a comprehensive manner that tells the whole story of the subject, their work, and the world around them.

[Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fascinating book about a very misunderstood man. The Prince didn't even come out until about 200 years after his death, in fact when he was alive, few people even knew about it. He was better know for being a lower tier politician and a play write than anything else. Very intersting

[Õûlāÿå · Rating 2 out of 5]

الكتاب يحكي حياة نيقولا مكيافيللي ,تناول حياته الاجتماعية و تعمق خاصة في حياته السياسية.ولد مكيافيللي في فلورنسا التابعة لايطاليا لعائلة من الطبقة المتوسطة ,احب القراءة و العلم,التحق بالتيار السياسي في عمر مبكر,و كان اهلا للمسؤولية التي على عاتقه فقد عمل كديبلوماسي و قام بالعديد من البعثات .

[Holden Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

In true Ross King fashion you learn about the historical figure and their cultural context simultaneously. It gives you a more complete understanding of the times and the man.

[Kathie H · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Machiavelli's writings have been taken much too seriously. I think he wanted to be part of the "In" crowd (the Medici family, the pope, or a combination of the two). So he wrote whatever he thought would gain him entrance into the rarefied corridors of power. I think he really had no idea what he was talking about. His treatises on warfare & combat were outdated even before they were printed. I think he just wanted 1. to make some money & 2. to be "somebody." It makes me laugh that so many world leaders - Hitler included - looked to Machiavelli's works as a guideline for how to attain & keep power. It's like the Emperor's new clothes, but one sure as heck doesn't laugh at the end.

[Mohamed Refaei · Rating 3 out of 5]

أجد مكيافيللي إنسان شُغل بصناعة مجده الشخصي عن طريق تقديم كل ما في جُعبته من حيل وأفكار أدبية وعسكرية وغيرها بما حظى به من العلوم التي تلقاها قبل إلتحاقة كسكرتير ثانِ وهو منصب دبلوماسي وسياسي، والعلوم التى درسها ومارسها على أرض الواقع بحكم إلتحاقه بالعمل العام في سن صغيرة نسبياً، أجد فيه الطموح والمجون والشر معاً، أقحم نفسه في العديد من المشاكل بسبب المُداهنة والنفاق أحياناً ليبلغ ما يريد من تثبيت كرسيّه الحكومي في فلورنسا بصفة خاصة وإيطاليا أو الدولة الكَنسية بصفة عامة.

[Yvonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting new perspective on Machiavelli as a fun loving guy, who simply observed and wrote about the tactics of the powerful political personages of the day. Some amusing anecdotes about the long-running attempts of the Florentines to subjugate the Pisans via some hilariously creative, yet ultimately doomed methods.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid, well written and concise, virtues similar to those of King's books about Michelangelo and Brunelleschi. However, those two dudes were hugely more talented and interesting than Machiavelli, so the book about the latter ends up being on the dull side.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This an enjoyable and easy read considering the complicated history of renaissance Italy. I would high recommend it to anyone interested in this period or the genesis of the "end justifies the means" mantra.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another interesting insight in the the era of da Vinci, Michelangelo and Machiavelli and renaissance Florence. Machiavelli was not at all what I expected considering his reputation for writing The Prince

[Larry Norton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have recently developed an interest in Machiavelli. His name is a regular part of our lexicon – Machiavellian – but I had never actually read any of his works. After reading The Prince, I have been delving into his other works, most notably Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius. I have also become intrigued with period after viewing the Showtime series “The Borgias”, in which Machiavelli is a secondary character. Along the way I stumbled across this short biography by Ross King, Machiavelli, Philosopher of Power.

This is a straightforward, chronological biography of a man of prodigious talents. Not only was Machiavelli an important political philosopher, but he was also a diplomat, military engineer, militia captain, poet, playwright, composer, troublemaker, womanizer, and roué. King does a commendable job of walking us through the many intrigues, twists and turns of last 15th and early 16th century Italy in which Machiavelli was involved. There are many names and places that figure throughout that requires some time to master, but worth the effort.

The key takeaway offered by King is that Machiavelli was a man of many contractions. He wrote a manual on how to be a successful prince, yet strongly believed that men could not change their character and that their lives were determined by the vicissitudes of Fortune. He was a very modern thinker yet often consulted astrologers and fortune tellers. He was a defender of republicanism yet worked directly with some of the most authoritarian leaders of the time.

For the lay reader, King’s biography is an excellent introduction to this complicated man. King does not delve into the scholarly debates that still rage today, though he does alert the reader to where controversy exists. Meanwhile, we conclude the book with an excellent sense of the man and the times.

[Clara · Rating 3 out of 5]

#4 del año. Es Machiavelli: Philosopher of War de Ross King. Me encanta cómo escribe Ross King porque tiene el don de tomar temas que pueden ser densos y aburridos y narrarlos como una novela. Aquí nos cuenta la vida, el contexto, las condicione en que Niccolo Machiavelli "Machia" desarrolló una obra que fue mucho más allá del conocido El Príncipe. Machiavelli, cuyo nombre hoy en día es sinónimo de una condición más bien negativa en política, de la astucia tracalera que muchas veces despreciamos, no fue como tantos lo pintan. Fue un hombre que vivió una época intensa, en la que Florencia, su república se debatió entre la dictadura y la libertad. Fue testigo de grandes cambios, de guerras. Estuvo en el centro de las negociaciones que definieron Europa. Su ascenso fue tan vertiginoso como su caída. Conoció al Papa Borgia, a Julio II, al Papa Medici. Los vio ascender y caer y reflexionó sobre una gran cuestión filosófica, la cual se me hace casi imposible responder: Somos el resultado de la fortuna o de la voluntad. Y por qué las mismas decisiones tienen resultados distintos para dos hombres. Al final del día, ¿Construimos nuestro destino o todo está escrito?
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#LoQueAmé: Ver otra cara de una figura y de una obra tan significativa para la política al día de hoy. Conocer a su autor es entender mejor la obra. Era brillante. Astuto. Mordaz. Quedé con ganas de leer sus obras de teatro. El libro es conciso y fácil de leer. .
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#LoQueNoMeGustóTanto: No es la obra más fluida de Ross King. #recomiendoleer #politics #blogger #amorporloslibros

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Canadian-English Writer Ross King published a biography of Niccolò Machiavelli in 2007, entitled Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power. I read King’s biography of Machiavelli on my Kindle. The book does not have an index. The conclusion of King’s biography on the Kindle does not have page numbers. Ross believes that the best way to understand the political writings of Machiavelli is as someone who understood how political power worked in the Italian Renaissance. Ross feels that this is why the political writings of Machiavelli have had such a vast variety of interpretations since the life of Machiavelli. Machiavelli also wrote plays, poems, histories, warfare, and other kinds of writings. I thought the fact that Leonardo da Vinci was a co-worker of Machiavelli for a brief time when the city of Florence tried to build a canal to take water away from the city of Pisa because Pisa was in revolt against being part of Florence’s sphere of influence (66-72). King’s biography has a selected bibliography. I thought Ross’s biography of Machiavelli provides much historical context for Machiavelli’s life and writings. King’s biography, Machiavelli: Philosophy of Power, is an excellent biography of a historical figure I did not know much about before reading this biography.

[Sawsan Al Khadhra · Rating 3 out of 5]

من المفترض أن يكون هذا الكتاب هو سيرة ميكافيللي الذاتية لأفاجأ بأن هناك العديد من الفترات الزمنية المجهولة في سيرته والباقي كان تحليلا وضعه الكاتب وفق منظوره دون سرد كامل للأحداث مما لايدع للقاريء مجال لوضع تحليلاتهم وفهمهم الخاص.

لايوجد ما يبين بأنه كان رجلا شريرا متسلطا أو رجلا مثقفا أسيء فهمه. ولكن ما استغربته حقا هو عمله كمستشار وشهرته من وراء كتاب الأمير وبعض المطارحات رغم أن حكام فلورنسا لم يأخذوا باستشارته أبدا واعتمدوا دوما نهجهم الخاص، ولم يملك خبرة عملية في الحروب والقيادة العسكرية، كما أن كتابه اعتمد بعض النماذج الإنسانية المعدودة. طبعا هذا كله وفقا للكاتب روس كينج.

نفى الكاتب أيضا صفة الأديب عن ميكافيللي عندما قال بأن العديد من أطروحاته ومسرحياته ماهي إلا إعادة كتابة لأعمال
أدبية رومانية!

عوضا بأن أتسأل عن ميكافيللي إن كان شخصية مستبدة أم إنسانا وطنيا أصبحت أتسائل إن كان تحليل الكاتب صحيحا أم لا!!!
لذلك أفضل قراءة الترجمة الحرفية لكتاب الأمير والوصول لتحليلي الخاص وذلك ما أنصح به الآخرين

[Reem · Rating 3 out of 5]

كتاب فيلسوف السلطة ميكافيلي من سلسلة سير العظماء تحت مظلة مشروع كلمات عربية الناشئ لمؤسسة محمد بن راشد وهو مشروع جبار من وجهة نظري, اللغة والترجمة تستحق بعض الاهتمام الواضح في الكتاب ترجمة راقية نوعاً ما . صدقاً حمدت الله أن قرأت سيرت ميكافيلي قبل أن اقرأ كتاب الأمير أو أي من كتاباته حتى يتسنى لي أن احكم على شخصيته جيداً هل هو ظل شيطان على الأرض كما يطلق عليه أم مجرد منافق يحاول بشتى الطرق ثبيت قدميه على البلاط الملكي كأغلب شخصيات الرعاع في التاريخ . هذا الكتاب فصلني عن الواقع نقلني بين ميكافيلي وليوناردو ومايكل أنجلو وكل شخصيات عصر النهضة العظيمة والمؤثرة في الحضارة البشرية ,ميكافيلي كان كمن صعد السلم لآخر درجاته ثم هوى لكن حظه ( العفريت ) أنقذه الكتاب يستحق كل ثانية تقضيها في قرأته حتى أنه ظهر لي تأثر كاتب قيم أوف ثرونز بهذا العصر من شخصية كاترينا وحادثة الزفاف الدموي وغيرها أحسست بالرهبه كيف أن ما نراه أسطورة الآن كان في يوم من الأيام واقع وأسلوب حياة

[Dru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full credit to the author for changing my 1-dimensional view of Machiavelli into a much broader understanding of the man behind "The Prince".

Unfortunately, as a student of neither Italian nor History, a lot (and I mean a LOT) of this book just flowed around my ears without so much as entering my consciousness. Whole intrigues and wars were fought and I couldn't tell you who was in them, but thankfully the author would frequently put it into context by telling us what it meant to Machiavelli himself. What's most fascinating about the book is that it only partially "excuses" the writing of The Prince by contextualizing it. It seems that 500 years later people still don't understand why he wrote it, why it disagrees with many of his other writings or his own actions and whether or not it is a work of genius or evil (or both).

I guess it's time to read The Prince!

[William Schram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Niccolo Machiavelli was a true Renaissance Man according to this volume. It is sized in such a way that it is shorter than it seems at first glance. Thus, it is simple to plow through it in a single sitting. Machiavelli's most famous work is also his most controversial. In advising Princes to ignore ethics and morality in their dealings with other nations earned him a name synonymous with evil and duplicity.

Ross King's main thesis of this book is to explore the life and times of Machiavelli in order to explain his hardened stances on politics. The book illustrates the political realities of 15th century Europe quite well. With a fractured Italy and a horribly weak government, it is hardly a surprise that he supports such ideals.

[Melinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good companion book to the Great Course on Machiavelli (by Dr. Bill Cook). It supplies quite a bit more historical information from letters and such so that you understand the times and the political players better. In particular I appreciated the dozen years or so when Machiavelli was working in different political roles prior to writing "The Prince". You can see where his experience informs his writing.

I was less interested in Machiavelli the bawdy playwright, although he was more known for that during his lifetime than his political expertise.

Fascinating also how the changing times denied Machiavelli reentrance into the political arena. Associating with the Borgia family (thru working with Cesare Borgia and his father Pope Alexander VI) poisoned the well against him when they fell from power. The Medici family returned to power, primarily thru Pope Julius II, and even though Machiavelli would have been happy to serve again, he was deemed too close to the exiled Borgias to be trustworthy.

It is unwise to judge a man strictly from one book, especially a short book that is easily taught to college students. Thus it is difficult to understand Machiavelli from merely reading "The Prince". This book, plus the Great Course did a good job of presenting a more rounded understanding of Niccolo Machiavelli.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. Ross King writes very well, and has a very good grasp of Machiavelli. I don't believe this book to be a scholarly contribution to the study of Machiavelli, but rather a readable summary of his life and thoughts. I've read The Prince, and was interested to learn about what created Machiavelli, and transformed him into such a reviled figure. He was an important figure, but one whom the shifting fortunes of 16th century Italy frequently cast aside. He was a womanizer, funny, and smart. He was not evil, but more a reflection of his times. I recommend this book to anyone interested in Machiavelli or the time in which he lived.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who was Machiavelli? Was he the evil champion of murderous tyranny that we meet in The Prince or the staunch advocate of republican self-government that we encounter in his Discourses on Livy? This is the question that Ross King tries to answer in this insightful and well-honed biography. Like many Machiavelli scholars before him, King offers no definitive answer to this age-old question since Machiavelli himself is too much a bundle of self-contradiction. Nonetheless, King gives us a lively and colorful picture of the enigmatic man who all agree is history's first great political philosopher.

[Niall · Rating 4 out of 5]

While not expansive on Machiavelli's actual philosophy, this is a succinct and very readable account of his life. It colourfully describes his world and the forces that helped form his thoughts. His basic humanity, nasty warts and all, is clear and confounds the traditional charicatures of evil incarnate that still persist. He was definitely no saint, but equally he was no demon. He was just a man, more accomplished in word than deed and so more liable to celebrate the imagined than the real. Anyhow whatever your thoughts on Machiavelli, this a a good overview and worth a read.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

因為學校的通識課指定閱讀而讀了這本書。

閱讀的過程算是滿享受——如果沒有那一大堆都長得差不多的人名的話就更好了——作者的筆觸風趣幽默，帶點挖苦諷刺的味道（我就愛這一味），在他的筆下馬基維利鮮活了起來。馬基維利算不上一個光明磊落的人，在西方世界裡甚至一直是陰險狡詐、不擇手段的代名詞，雖然說這本傳記對於他的整體評價也有點先入為主的疑慮，但在本書裡，作者仍是揭露了馬基維利的其他面向，包含了他載浮載沉的宦途、多才多藝的文藝復興人特質，還有帶點荒誕的情史。

在結論裡，作者點出了馬基維利矛盾的特質。顯然地，本書中還呈現了他不忠、低俗、一意孤行等缺點，但即使如此，他整個人，或說整個時代，散發出的熱情還是隔著文字撲面而來。在權力的角力中，他如飢似渴地觀察、思考、吸收；他對政治充滿的熱情，也顯現在他不屈不撓、看似笨拙徒勞的嘗試中；他對於命運女神又愛又恨，被她玩弄在股掌中的同時，他也亟欲徹底了解她、征服她。看到此處忍不住感嘆，啊！你怎麼能說他不也是認真的活著嗎？

讀人物傳記，就是讓我們在那些歷史上重要人物的身上，看見一部分的自己，得到一些啟發，看到人、看到人性。十六世紀到現在二十一世紀，已經過了快五百年，科技日新月異，城市景觀、權力分布大不相同，然而人性始終未有太大的改變，在馬基維利和權力緊密相連的一生中，他看到的，與我們看到的，其實相差不遠。他曾提出的那些有關權力、性格、命運的問題，在現在依然是複雜難解，而他提出的那些見解，或許不見容於這個社會的價值觀，但仍是在研究這些問題的人中，一道獨特而犀利的眼光。

最後不得不提一下，中文版的翻譯真的很棒，文字流暢通順，適時夾雜一些古文和成語，使文字更有那個時代的韻味，非常用心！

[Jota Houses · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maquiavelo resulta en esta biografía una especie de Gabriel de Araceli, un testigo de excepción de la impresionante situación historica del cinquecento italiano. Por las páginas de esta biografía de un político florentino de segunda, desfilan los grandes nombres de la época: Leonardo, los Borgia, Julio II, Carlos V, Luis XII y Francisco I, Lutero y Maximiliano, el Gran Capitán, los Sforza, los Medici, Savonarola...
Es una especie de excusa para pintar el fresco renacentista. Por lo demas es curioso co mo la práctica política de Maquiavelo no resultó tan exitosa como sus teorías publicadas.