Niccolò Machiavelli

Corrado Vivanti (1928-2012) was an emeritus professor of history, having taught at the universities of Rome, Turin, and Perugia. He was the editor of the standard edition of the complete works of Machiavelli.

• Preface vii Part I. The Florentine Secretary 1 1. A Shadowy Period: The First Half of His Life 3 2. The Relationship with Savonarola 7 3. The Activity in the Chancery 11 4. The Correspondence with Functionaries of the Domain 19 5. Diplomatic Activity 24 6. The Experience of the Early Missions 28 7. Changes of Fortune and the Ghiribizzi al Soderino 36 8. The Florentine Ordinance 41 9. The Venetian Defeat and the Reconquest of Pisa 51 10. The End of the Republic and the Return of the Medici 58 Part II. Exile in His Homeland 69 11. The Confinement at Sant'Andrea 71 12. "I have composed a little work On Princedoms" 76 13. The "Myth" of The Prince 85 14. Frequenting the Orti Oricellari 103 15. An Original Comment on Livy 108 16. The Art of War 122 Part III. "Niccolo Machiavelli, Historian, comic writer, and tragic writer" 127 17. A New Season in Machiavelli's Life 129 18. A Return to Business 135 19. "The annals or the history of Florence" 143 20. "The things done at home and abroad by the Florentine people" 149 21. The Friendship with Guicciardini 168 22. Clizia and the Musical Madrigals 176 23. Final Act 180 Appendix: Notes on the Use of the Word Stato in Machiavelli 193 Notes 219 Index 255

"Sensible and useful... [Vivanti] sets forth the greatness of Machiavelli, not as a figure of his time, the Renaissance, but as a founder of modernity."--Harvey C. Mansfield, Wall Street Journal "Students well versed in the classics, the historian's vast writings and medieval history will most enjoy this academic biography."--Kirkus Reviews "[T]his graceful and informative biography should win many readers and is a welcome addition to Machiavelli scholarship... [R]ecommended for all scholarly collections."--Library Journal "Paints a complex picture of the circumstances that shaped the man whose name became synonymous with political cunning."--Karl Kunkel, ForeWord Reviews "[E]xcellent, and accessible to anyone interested in finding out more about Machiavelli."--Jonathan Powell, Prospect "Vivanti supplies a fascinating, concise guide to Machiavelli's life and work... [W]ell worth reading."--Joanna Kavenna, Spectator "[I]nformative and ... level-headed."--Keith Miller, Telegraph "Vivanti offers a comprehensive analysis of the thought of Machiavelli situated against the backdrop of political and biographical developments in the early 16th century... Few writers possess better qualifications to write this study."--Choice "Niccolo Machiavelli: An Intellectual Biography will appeal to a wide audience, since the style is easy-to-read and the content broad but focused. Anyone interested in this period of history (15th and 16th century Europe) or political philosophy will find Vivanti's work a useful guide and a stimulating read."--Economics and Philosophy Blogspot "Corrado Vivanti's learned intellectual biography reinforces [an] image of Machiavelli as a misunderstood forerunner of the Italian Risorgimento, calling for the redemption of Italian republicanism four centuries before the final reunification of the Italian states."--Michael Ignatieff, The Atlantic "Corrado Vivanti's intellectual biography is a masterful piece of scholarly writing and a fine corollary to the author's long commitment to the world of Machiavelli studies... [T]his translation of Vivanti's study nicely displays the liveliness and intensity of Machiavelli's thought in the context of a changing European world... Niccolo Machiavelli: An Intellectual Biography [is] a work for posterity."--Mauricio Suchowlansky, Renaissance and Reformation "[A] fine exposition of Machiavelli's life and works."--Vickie B. Sullivan, The Historian "A remarkable contribution to the English-language literature on the thought and life of the Florentine secretary. Vivanti is the editor and annotator of the three volume complete works of Machiavelli, Opere (Milan 1997-2005). An outgrowth of this earlier work, it weaves into a seamless narrative the notes, commentary and critical introductions that Vivanti brought to the Opere."--Bendetto Fontana, European History Quarterly