Post on 31-May-2022
Machiavellian
Chronicles
Written and
Illustrated
by Macy
Abad
Machiavellian Chronicles 2
Chapter 1: The Beginning
Machiavellian Chronicles 3
Niccolò Bernardo dei Machiavelli was born on 3 May 1469 to his mother Bartolomea di Stefano Nelli and his father Bernardo (Honeycutt, n.d.). Honeycutt
also wrote that Machiavelli was born and raised in a district in Florence called Santo Spirito. He further writes that Machiavelli’s three siblings were Primavera,
Margherita, and Totto.
Machiavellian Chronicles 4
The Machiavelli family was generally regarded as wealthy and prominent, with Niccolò’s father being the poorest of the Machiavelli line (Mansfield,
2020). Bernardo was a Doctor of Laws who got small jobs here and there. He owned a small area of land and earned money from its rent.
Niccolò’s Father: Bernardo
Machiavellian Chronicles 5
Even with his father’s limited wealth, the family still
had a rich library in their home (Mansfield, 2020).
Throughout his youth, he read the works of Latin, Italian,
and Greek authors (Honeycutt, n.d.). It is unknown if
Machiavelli knew Greek, so it is generally said that he
read the works of Greek authors through translation.
Among Machiavelli’s favorite authors were Dante
(Italian), Livy (Latin), and Thucydides (Greek)
(Honeycutt, n.d.). Honeycutt stated that Machiavelli
also translated works from Latin into Italian in his youth. Young Niccolò
Machiavellian Chronicles 6
His first teacher was Paolo da Ronciglione, who
was a well-known teacher of humanists (Nederman,
2019). Machiavelli learned Latin from him. He was said
to have gone to the University of Florence at the age
of fourteen (Nederman, 2019). It was here that he got
his humanist education. He also attended the lectures
of Marcello Virgilio Adriani (Mansfield, 2020). Adriani
was the head of the Studio Florentino. He attended the
sermons of Girolamo Savanrola in 1498 (Mansfield,
2020). It was from him that he learned to oppose the
Italian government, clergy, and pope.
The University of Florence
Machiavellian Chronicles 7
He married Marietta di Ludovico Corsini on August of 1501 (Honeycutt, n.d.). The couple had several children. They were Bernardo, Poimerana (died
young), unnamed daughter (died young), Baccina, Ludovico, Piero, Guido, and Totto.
Marietta di Ludovico Corsini
Machiavellian Chronicles 8
Chapter 2: The Diplomat
Machiavellian Chronicles 9
He documented many of the letters that he
wrote (Honeycutt, n.d.). First was “Legations” (from
1498 to 1512), which was a series of letters that he
wrote while in government. Second were his
personal letters (from 1497 to 1527). Among these
letters are two notable ones. First is Ghiribizzi al
Soderini (Musings to Soderini), which was written
from 13 to 21 September 1506 to Giovanbattista
Soderini. Second is his 10 December 1513 letter to
Francesco Vettori, which described his days in exile
along with the first mention of him working on The
Prince.
Machiavellian Chronicles 10
In 19 June 1498, at the age of 29 years old,
he was made the Second Chancellor of the
Republic of Florence (Nederman, 2019). He was
known as the youngest man to have held this
position during his time. He travelled to different
parts of Europe to negotiate with other
governments.
Machiavellian Chronicles 11
After the Medici family was ousted from
Florence, Piero Soderini came to be Machiavelli’s
superior. He allowed Machiavelli to create and
head the Florentine militia after much insistence
by the latter to create one (Mansfield, 2020).
Mansfield wrote that this militia was defeated in
1512 when the Medicis came back to power. Piero Soderini
Note: This is likely not the Italian insignia for the militia, but it does symbolize a militia.
Machiavellian Chronicles 12
He held the position for fourteen years. He was removed from this position in 7 November 1512. This was when the Medici family came back into power.
He was then arrested and tortured using the strappado (dislocation of shoulders) method (Honeycutt, n.d.). Honeycutt further wrote that Machiavelli was then
exiled to Sant’Andrea in Percussina in southern Florence, which was one of his father’s properties.
Niccolò Machiavelli: The Prisoner
Machiavellian Chronicles 13
Chapter 3: The Philosopher
Machiavellian Chronicles 14
Upon being placed in exile, he started to write. He wrote The
Prince from late 1513 to early 1514. This was dedicated to Lorenzo
de’Medici, but he did not read it until 1516 (Nederman, 2019). Even
when he did read it, he did not actually take on any of Machiavelli’s
advice (Harrison, 2011). This piece of work covers the characteristics
that Machiavelli thought a good prince should have. He then wrote
Discourses on Livy from 1514/1515 to 1518/1519. This piece of work
was really about Machiavelli’s opinions on Florentine rule, but he
disguised it as critiquing the work of the Latin author Livy (Nederman,
2019). Both were published posthumously in 1532 and 1531,
respectively.
Sant’Andrea Lorenzo de’Medici
Machiavellian Chronicles 15
Two other notable works of his, although
significantly less popular than the previous two, are Art
of War and Florentine Histories. Art of War is divided
into seven books and is in the form of a dialogue
among Machiavelli, Guicciardini, and the members
of the Ficino’s Platonic Academy during a dinner at
the Orti Oricellari. Here, they discuss the many
components of war and various strategies to win one.
Florentine Histories covered the history of Florence
from the decline of the Roman Empire to the death of
Lorenzo the Magnificent (1434). This was also divided
into seven books.
Guicciardini
Orti Oricellari
Machiavellian Chronicles 16
Machiavelli wrote three plays in his time. These are Le Maschere (The Masks), L’Andria (The Girl from Andros), and Mandragola (The Mandrake). These
were performed during his time, but are no longer in production today. If there are present productions, these are very rarely done.
Plays from left to right: L’Andria, Le Maschere, Mandragola
Machiavellian Chronicles 17
His other notable works are reports and
speeches from the early 1500s (written while he was
in office), The Life of Castruccio Castracani (1520),
Discourse on Florentine Affairs (1520), and On the
Natures of Florentine Men.
Machiavellian Chronicles 18
Chapter 4: Philosophical Thoughts
Machiavellian Chronicles 19
There are three prevalent philosophical themes
throughout his body of work. First is virtû. Machiavellian
virtû does not translate to the English “virtue”. According
to Machiavelli, virtû pertains to a leader’s ability to adapt
and make decisions depending on the circumstance
that they are in. Machiavellian power pertains to being
cruel to the public when needed, but generally being
merciful. According to Machiavelli, it was acceptable to
use force on the citizens if the leader thought this was
necessary. Machiavellian fortuna pertains to the English
“fortune”. According to Machiavelli, riches bring about
the demise of leaders, and as such they should rule with
minimal finances.
Machiavellian Chronicles 20
Chapter 5: Opposing Opinions
Machiavellian Chronicles 21
Machiavelli did not agree with the belief that
religion dictates all. The rulers of Florence during his
time greatly relied on religion to help them with
decision making, which Machiavelli did not agree
with. He though the church was evil, and that
Christianity taught the citizens nothing but the
ability to lie.
Machiavellian Chronicles 22
Machiavelli supported having a
republican form of government for
Italy. He wanted Italy to be a united
country, and not separated by
principalities.
Machiavellian Chronicles 23
Chapter 6: The End
Machiavellian Chronicles 24
In 1527, the Medici family was overthrown and lost their power. Machiavelli tried to get a position in government again, but the new regime denied
him this because of the work he had done for the Medicis (Mansfield, 2020), On 21 June 1527, shortly after he was denied the position in office, Machiavelli
fell ill and passed away. Niccolò Machiavelli was 58 years old.
Although there are no images of his funeral, this was a standard coffin that people during the 16th Century were buried in, and
as such can be presumed that he was buried in one as well.
Machiavellian Chronicles 25
Sources:
Biography.com Editors. (2020, June 16). Niccolò Machiavelli. Biography.com. https://www.biography.com/scholar/niccolo-
machiavelli.
Harrison, R. P. (2011, January 1). What can you learn from Machiavelli? Yale Insights.
https://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/what-can-you-learn-machiavelli.
History.com Editors. (2009, November 24). Niccolo Machiavelli Is Born. History.com. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-
history/niccolo-machiavelli-born.
Honeycutt, K. Niccolò Machiavelli (1469—1527). Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://iep.utm.edu/machiave/.
Mansfield, H. (2020, June 17). Niccolò Machiavelli. Encyclopædia Britannica.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Niccolo-Machiavelli.
Nederman, C. (2019, May 28). Niccolò Machiavelli. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/machiavelli/.
Machiavellian Chronicles 26
Macy Abad
Macy is a 12th grade student at the Community of Learners School
for Children. She is in the Arts and Design strand under the Music
Production track. She maintains her love for writing and literature
even if she is in Music Production. She loves dogs, otters, classic
books, and painfully funny sitcoms (the ones that make you laugh
until you are crying).
About the Author