Dramatic Philosophical Biography of an Advisor to the Prince
Niccolo Machiavelli. Niccolo Machiavelli: An Intellectual Biography. Corrado Vivanti, Ed. 262pp, paperback. ISBN: 978-0-691-19689-3. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2019.
*****
I was particularly interested in this book because my current research is on re-attribution of texts in the “William Shakespeare” canon, and this is an example of one of the better biographies of somebody from a similarly early period of European history. The quality of the scholarship of biographies of early modern historical individuals is in part apparent from the writer’s ability to acknowledge what is unknown, rather than their invention of fictions to fill these gaps. This particular author appears to meet this requirement of mine as, for example, Chapter 1 specifies that there are “only a few glimmers” of information regarding Machiavelli’s (The Prince) third decade of life (5). More importantly, all chapters begin with the facts that are known regarding different moments in history and from documentary evidence before moving towards theoretical or philosophical discussions of Machiavelli’s ideas later in the chapter. For example, the “Final Act: 23” chapter begins with the description of the Battle of Pavia and other European battles in these later years of Machiavelli’s life, with inserted quotes from his letters, including a curious accusatory note on Italian princes “‘who have all done everything to bring us here’” (180); this is an ominous warning to the possible reasons for the forthcoming abrupt end to his life, so this is a great opening section that should keep readers engaged. Later in this chapter, Vivanti speculates regarding the meaning of what Machiavelli is reported to have described to friends “shortly before he died” a dream of brilliant thinkers in hell, adding that he would rather be in hell with them than the “rabble” he was surrounded with; Machiavelli’s friends had just returned from an imposed exile after the conspiracy of 1522, so they were of a similar mind frame (190). Vivanti records the facts that Machiavelli appears to have died due to an illness that was “hastened” by a prescribed “drug”, and this together with the mentions of anti-government discussions in the days prior to this potential poisoning combine to suggest an assassination conspiracy without inventing it as a factual event given the lack of chemical analysis to confirm or deny this theory (189). To summarize, this is a very dramatic, exciting, interesting, informative and thorough yet brief enough to read at-leisure biography that I recommend to those interested in intrigue and philosophy as well as scholars of the history and personalities covered.
The publisher’s summary describes it as an “introduction to the life and work of” the “Florentine statesman, writer, and political philosopher, Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527).” Vivanti connects “Machiavelli’s thought and his changing fortunes during the tumultuous Florentine republic and his subsequent exile. Vivanti’s concise account covers not only Machiavelli’s most famous works — The Prince, The Discourses, The Florentine Histories, and The Art of War — but also his letters, poetry, and comic dramas.” While this might appear as a given, the more such biographies I read the more I realize how rare such in-depth and breadth analysis is. Most of these letters and rare texts are difficult to access, translate, and understand, given the lapse of time that has made most ideas in them foreign to modern readers. While the well-known works have been thoroughly summarized by Cliff Notes or equivalent abbreviated versions, exploring minor works tends to reveal deeper and more surprising conclusions because fewer scholars have dug to these depths. It covers “his career in a variety of government and diplomatic posts in the Florentine republic between 1494 and 1512, when the Medici returned from exile, seized power, and removed Machiavelli from office; the pivotal first part of his subsequent exile, when he formulated his most influential ideas and wrote The Prince; and the final decade of his life, when, having returned to Florence”. The book also questions “Machiavelli’s cultural and intellectual background”, which are particularly difficult to assess in these early times because education records and the like are limited, “his republicanism, his political and personal relationship to the Medici, and his ideas about religion.” The author, Corrado Vivanti, taught across Europe, so he is personally familiar with the geography and culture of the continent through which Machiavelli travels.