The Prince Essay Research Paper Niccol — страница 2

  • Просмотров 271
  • Скачиваний 5
  • Размер файла 18
    Кб

Guicciardini. In 1527, the imperial army invaded and defiled Rome. Following this desecration of Rome, the Florentines removed the Medici from power and established a second republic. Machiavelli did not return to office, for he was a suspected ally of the Medici. He became very ill and died June 20, 1527. Niccolo Machiavelli is honorably buried at Santa Croce, the church of Florence. The first several chapters of The Prince explicate the four types of princedoms and the methods in which they are acquired. Chapter I states that all governments are either republics or princedoms. From there, all princedoms are hereditary, mixed, new, or ecclesiastical. Then, Machiavelli goes on to say that hereditary princedoms are easily maintained, granted that the prince not diverge from his

ancestors policies. Mixed princedoms arise when hereditary princedoms acquire new territories. These princedoms are not as easily kept, for two reasons. The first is that the people will replace their leader if they feel it would better conditions. Machiavelli gives five defenses for this situation. The first and best is to reside in the new province. Secondly, a prince should set up colonies to serve as connections to the mother country. A prince should then become the chief defender of the less puissant adjacent territories. Then, he should weaken his more powerful neighbors. For no reason, should a prince allow any foreign power to enter the province. The second reason mixed princedoms are hard to maintain is a prince cannot satisfy the anticipations of those who helped him

take over, and he does not want to use excessive actions because he requires the backing of the people. Chapter IV is entitled Why the Kingdom of Darius, Conquered by Alexander, Did Not, On Alexander’s Death, Rebel Against His Successors, the answer to the question lies in the different style in which the state was governed. The Kingdom of Darius was ruled in an autocratic style common to Asia during Alexander the Great’s time unlike the feudal system common to Europe. This autocratic style was present in the Kingdom of Turkey during Machiavelli’s time, where in Turkey the prince is the master of everyone and everything. Everyone is his slave; he transfers his governors around at a whim. This form of government is difficult to conquer because everyone who assists the king

is dependent upon him, but is easily maintain after the prince’s family is subjugated. The precise inverse is the feudal system in the Kingdom of France where the nobles are loved by their own people and the king would only depone a noble at his own risk. Conquering a feudal government like this is easily done, when the nobles are turned against the king. There are three methods to retaining a newly acquired territory. The first and most definite, is to destroy it. The second is for the prince to go and reside there. Thirdly, the prince may elect to allow the territory to live under its own laws. This method is not the surest way, although it keeps the people happy. The only way to be sure is to first, destroy it, and second, reside in it. Chapter VI – IX clarify the four

types of new princedoms, grouped by how they are acquired. When a prince acquires a new princedom by his own arms, the difficulty of maintaining his station depends solely upon his ability. Although good fortune may be involved, fortune is worthless without virtue. Princes who acquire their princedoms by the aid of others and good fortune, do not maintain power easily. The best of example of this is Cesare Borgia, whose father, Alexander VI, aided Cesare in conquering Romagna. However, when his father died and Julius II became pope, Borgia was ruined. Princedoms that are acquired through wickedness bring only disrepute to their princes not honors. Civic princedoms can be attained in two manners, by the support of the people or by the assistance of the nobles. Those princes, who

come to power by the assistance of the nobles, are less powerful than those who come to power by the love of the people are. For the nobles think they are equal with the prince, but the people are his loving subjects, ready at his command. Chapter X introduces military affairs, especially military might as the measure of the strength of the state. Princes need to have strong armies and those who do not need strong defenses and abundant supplies. Machiavelli asserts that military power alone is not adequate, a prince must have the love of his people. For a prince loved by his people and that has strong fortifications can outlast any siege attempt. Ecclesiastical princedoms are governed by religious ordinances. These religious states often have immense secular power. They are