The Prince

Which of the following would be most successful in business today? And what kind of business would they run? Remirro da Orca, Oliverotto da Fermo, Cesare Borgia.

            If the three previously stated men were to live in contemporary times, each one would have a particular trade they would go into. Remirro da Orca would be the leader of an elite organization of shifty characters, namely the mafia or a gang leader. Alexander VI’s son, the duke, trying to rule Romagna, found that it was populated by weak nobles. The duke called upon da Orca to “bring back peace and obedience to authority,” (Machiavelli 7) which he did quite well. Remirro’s downfall was that he was a mighty and a stern man, and the duke knew that the people would not enjoy having this man for a ruler, even though he was the reason for their peace. He ultimately had to be assassinated. Much like a mafia head, da Orca was a good man who many respected for a little while, but could not deal with him for too long for they feared he would become tyrannical. A mafia head’s death, much like da Orca’s, is received with a mixture of relief and horror. He was a good leader and it was a pity that he had to die, but it was inevitable. Remirro da Orca would not be the best in modern business.

            Oliverotto da Fermo would be quite successful as the head of an elite group of bounty hunters. He had the training to fight, as he was trained under Pagolo Vitelli. Da Fermo was also cunning and sly, traits necessary for survival especially back when he actually live and if he were to become a bounty hunter. He knew how to persuade people to give him what he wanted, as shown when he wanted to seize Fermo and tricked Giovanni Fogliani into letting him into Fermo. Da Fermo must have had quite a way with words, not really a necessity for a bounty hunter, but if there ever comes a time that a hunter would need to speak to his target he would need to be extremely skilled. Da Fermo led Giovanni straight to his own doom. While he did order the massacre of Giovanni and the chiefs of Fermo, no actual blood got on his hands, which would make him the organizer of the bounty hunters. But all evil people must meet their end somewhere, and da Fermo was strangled, but not before tasting sweet victory after a savage killing.

            Cesare Borgia and the other two men share the same types of personalities, but they each are very individual people. Borgia, unlike the others, would change with the seasons though always keeping his angry temperament firm. His personality seemed to depend on whether or not he thought he was succeeding. “This duke entered the Romagna with auxiliaries, but afterwards, he turned to mercenaries… whom presently, on handling and finding them doubtful, unfaithful, and dangerous, he destroyed and turned to his own men. And the difference between one and the other of these forces can easily be seen when one considers the difference there was when he had auxilieries, or mercenaries, and when he relied on his own soldiers… he was never esteemed more highly than when every one saw that he was complete master of his own forces,” (Machiavelli XIII). The man knew how he would fare with different people by his side and used that to his advantage. Borgia figured out that he was only as good as the people who represent him and acquired the best people for certain situations. His approach seemed to work to, as the people of Borgia were loyal to him and understanding of him, even of his faults. Cesare Borgia, in today’s career ladder, would be successful as a Major General in an army. His hot temper would keep him level-headed on the battlefield, while his chameleon-like abilities would keep him sharp even if he were to switch platoons at a moment’s notice. Borgia would not be successful anywhere else in contemporary times other than in the army.

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Who is a Prince’s greatest ally?

            In all cases throughout time a prince’s greatest ally is his people. In some cases, the people make the prince what he is, and in other instances, it is the way that the prince treats his people that determine the condition of the governing land. Under any and all circumstances, however, the most important ally a prince needs is people. In Chapter IX of The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli describes how to be a successful ruler of a principality. “One who becomes a prince through the favour of the people ought to keep them friendly… one who, in opposition to the people, becomes a prince by the favour of the nobles, ought, above everything, to seek to win the people over to himself…” (Machiavelli IX). This passage is reinforcing the notion that a prince needs people to stand behind him, and he must make sure that as soon as he is raised to nobility, he gains their trust. Without their support, he will fall, but with their aid, a prince can be made great. A prince is only as good as his people, and if he makes his people great, they will make him great. This process begins with the prince arming his people. “Rather when he has found them disarmed he has always armed them, because, by arming them, those arms become yours, those men who were distrusted become faithful, and those who were faithful are kept so, and your subjects become your adherents,” (Machiavelli XX). By giving his people arms with which to defend themselves and their land, he gains their faith and trust. These people, being given arms by a respectable ruler, will become faithful to him, defending him with the weapons he bestowed upon them. By giving his subjects gifts, a prince secures his own spot as the head of a principality. While it is in good taste to keep a prince’s direct subjects thinking good of him, it is sometimes even better to let it be known that an alliance should be formed between two friendly principalities. “If the party with whom he allies himself conquers… men are never so shameless as to become a monument of ingratitude by oppressing you… if he with whom you ally yourself loses, you may be sheltered by him… you become companions on a fortune that may rise again,” (Machiavelli XXI) By allying with other parties, a prince secures himself protection from the allied party’s people. No matter if the ally wins or loses their battle at hand, they will turn and aid the principality in some way. This directly helps the prince in his quest to retain his throne. His people are appreciative that he would protect them at all costs, and the people of the other party become acquainted with the prince and may follow under him. In every type of principality a prince’s greatest allies are his loyal subjects.

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 According to Machiavelli, when is generosity a good thing?

            In Machiavelli’s The Prince it is insinuated many times that generosity should never be overused. A good prince, Machiavelli believes, should not be generous to everyone, but rather keep them at arm’s length until they prove their worth. This is not to say that Machiavelli is completely opposed to generosity as a means to help oneself become a prince or a more successful prince. The only way to be generous is to be mildly generous in spirit in order to gain loyal subjects. In Chapter IX, Machiavelli states, “one cannot by fair dealing, and without injury to others, satisfy the nobles, but you can satisfy the people,” meaning that it is a necessity for a nobleman turned prince to win over the loyalty of the people so that he can have their faith in him when he really needs it. A good prince would do this by being generous with his newly acclaimed power. Concerning generosity, Machiavelli stands with the notion that sometimes generosity can be the absence of meanness and that it can ultimately gain you loyal subjects just as actually being generous would. Paraphrasing Chapter XVI, Machiavelli states that anyone wishing to be considered a liberal must be willing to tax his people so that he can gain more wealth. This will cause the people to not like him. Only a few people, nobles with almost the same powers as him, will be rewarded by this system but that is all. But, if the system is worked correctly, “thus it comes to pass that he exercises liberality towards all from whom he does not take, who are numberless, and meanness towards those to whom he does not give, who are few,” (Machiavelli XVI)  a prince will be quite successful in his nobility and his subject will be loyal to him. His generosity was simply the absence of meanness, which is the message that Machiavelli was attempting to convey.

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Use the Beatitudes to argue against Machiavelli.

            The Beatitudes and The Prince are two very separate and distinct works, but they each mention the same basic ideals of human life. The two works, however, do not agree on these subjects. In Chapter VI of The Prince, Machiavelli concerned himself with discussing the best way to become a prince. He stated, “The fact of becoming a prince from a private station presupposes either ability or fortune,” which does not coincide with the Beatitudes in the slightest. The Beatitudes, on the other hand suggest that having ability or fortune does not ensure greatness, but being modest and docile will make one a leader. The Beatitudes say, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth,” (Beatitudes 5). This line expresses the Beatitudes’ counter argument for Machiavelli’s statement. Machiavelli tried to tell a prince-to-be that he has a very good chance only if he has spectacular abilities or is of wealth, but the Beatitudes tell God’s truth, that if one is quite and gentle, he will rule over the entire world. Machiavelli constantly turns to the topic of ruling over one’s people. Machiavelli glorifies the notion that a prince is permitted to be mean to his subjects; to instill fear in them, in order to be successful. He wrote, “We have not seen great things done in our time except by those who have been considered mean… ought to hold of little account a reputation for being mean, it… will enable him to govern,” (Machiavelli XVI). The Beatitudes suggest otherwise. Machiavelli’s statement of meanness can be revoked when compared to line 8 of the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.” The Beatitudes tell all of God’s people that they should go towards everyone with an open, pure heart and not with the meanness that Machiavelli seemed to think was a given. The Beatitudes and Machiavelli’s The Prince will always be contesting for dominance over such topics.

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Use Machiavelli to argue against The Beatitudes.

            Arguing against the Beatitudes using Machiavelli’s The Prince sheds new light on both subjects. The Beatitudes, while normally thought of as God’s promises to humanity, applied to Machiavelli’s time do not seem all that practical. Machiavelli wrote his book when Italy was in times of strife and he documented his best thoughts for a future prince. He knew his peers and their beliefs, which did not always coincide with the teachings of the Beatitudes. In the Beatitudes, peace is discussed in, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God,” (Beatitudes 9). Machiavelli protests this, saying, “The Romans, foreseeing troubles, dealt with them at once… for they knew that war is not to be avoided, but is only to be put off to the advantage of others,” (Machiavelli III). If Rome provided an example to any other country or principality, then a valid argument between the Beatitudes and Machiavelli ensues. Kingdoms throughout history either wanted to go to war to prove their power, or saw that war was inevitable and went into battle willingly. Ones who try to make peace every time will be destroyed and wiped off of the map by a kingdom that is not fearful or necessarily kind. The Beatitudes tell man, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy,” (Beatitudes 7). Machiavelli shows the topic of mercy in a new light with, “A prince, so long as he keeps his subjects united and loyal, ought not to mind the reproach of cruelty; he will be more merciful than those who, through too much mercy, allow disorders to arise,” (Machiavelli XVII). Machiavelli’s view on mercy is much truer than that of the Beatitudes’, given the context of the situation. Of the many problems that arose for a prince, having no power of his subjects was one of the ones that was most feared. A prince needed to instill fear in his people if he wanted them to be faithful to him  and that was a priority of high caliber when an entire principality was on the line.   

Nicolo Machiavelli (1469-1527): The Prince, 1513. (1998). Retrieved October 29, 2010 from Medieval Sourcebook: http://www.fordham.edu/​halsall/​basis/​machiavelli-prince.html.

MATTHEW 5:3-12. (1984). Retrieved October 29, 2010 from Bible Gateway: http://www.biblegateway.com/​passage/​?search=matthew%205:3-12&version=niv.

Super AwesomeSauce!

Spain on Prezi

Claire Zurkowski, Jimmy Knell, Brianna Glase, Jordan Martin, Julie Kraus, and 

Hunter Kothenbeutel. 

Medici and Michelangelo

• Lorenzo de Medici was the grandson of Cosimo Medici. 
• Artists of the Renaissance were sponsored to make sculptures and works of art. 
• Patrons supplied the artists with everything they needed while they did their work. 
• For Lorenzo, humanist aspects of life were to be revered and enjoyed.  
• The Pope and the Church did not agree with this view of life. 
• Botticelli was a painter whose work was loved by many except for the Church.. 
• The Bonfire of the Vanities was meant to destroy all humanist art, namely works by Botticelli.  
• Florence annexed the city of Pisa in 1406, making Florence larger. 
• One of the major strategies of campaigns across Italy was siege warfare. This meant that soldiers posted themselves outside of a city and burned the land around it, forcing the people inside to fight or die. 
• By 1454, Florence, Milan and Venice were the three major powers of Italy. 
• They signed the treaty of Lodi. 

• There were threats to Lorenzo's life by rival banking families. 
• The Pazzi family wanted the Medici family out of the way. 
• The Pope had debts to pay to the Medici family, and Lorenzo insisted for the money. 
• The Pope went to the Pazzi family, in the hopes that they would eliminate the Medici family, and in turn, eliminate his debts. 
• On Easter Day in 1478 during a mass in Florence Guilliano Medici, the brother of Lorenzo, was stabbed nineteen times and died. Lorenzo was missing. 
• Lorenzo showed himself to the church, bleeding, but assuring the people that the Medici family had not been destroyed. 
• Lorenzo soon heard that the Pope had sent troops to eliminate the Medici family. 
• He travelled to meet the troops. When he met them, they struck a deal with him. 
• The enemies left with bribes in their hands, and without murdering Lorenzo. 
• Lorenzo took over the city government, so that all legislation would have to go through him. 
• Lorenzo used his wealth and newfound power to his advantage over Florence. 
• This power also gave him the power to make or break an artistic career. 
• One artist who stood out in Lorenzo's mind was Leonardo da Vinci. 
• Da Vinci became Botticelli's rival and Botticelli tried even higher to make one of his paintings a part of Lorenzo's private collection. 
• Savonarola despised the Medici, claiming they were sacrilegious. 
• He thought that Pagan paintings led to Hell and he wanted this revolution to end in Florence. 
• Michelangelo and his talent were noticed by Lorenzo at a young age. Lorenzo wanted to teach this young boy and be a sort of mentor to him. 
• Lorenzo started Michelangelo's career in art and helped to fuel Lorenzo's own art collection. 
• Savonarola gained followers for his belief that if Florence went on the path it was already headed, it would fall into ruin. 
• Even though Lorenzo had helped Florence become a much greater city, he had forgotten to uphold his duties as the head of the Medici bank. 
• Lorenzo had lost the family a portion of their funding, and branches of the bank were forced to close. 
• In 1492, Lorenzo fell ill. 
• He felt that his illness was not only physical, he was worried about his city. 
• He called Savonarola to his deathbed, hoping to find some way to renew his faith. Savonarola judged him harshly and would not give him the promise he had wanted. 
• Lorenzo died at the age of 43, fearing that God would damn him. 
• Savonarola seized his chance to revolutionize Florence. 
• Botticelli embraced Christianity, mostly because he had to under the new rule. 
• He drew many depictions of the apocalypse as described in the Bible. 
• Prostitutes and homosexuals were killed and burned. 
• Jewelry, books, and paintings that were reminiscent of Lorenzo's rule were burned, reminding the people how powerful Christianity was.  
• Botticelli had to throw his own paintings from Lorenzo's time into the Bonfire of the Vanities. 

Perugia

Exports:

         One of Perugia's main exports was chocolate. Chocolate is a main source of income for Perugia and its chocolate confections are world renowned. 

          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perugia


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Perugia_italienische_Konditorei_BMK.jpg

          

Pietro Perugino:

           An artist from Perugia, Pietro Perugino mastered the art of fresco painting. He was revered so much in Perugia that he adopted the city's name as his surname. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pietro_Vannucci

http://www.letsgo.com/340-umbria-travel-guides-perugia-d

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pietro_Perugino_cat14.jpg

Awesomesauce

Elizabeth I Notes

• Elizabeth became Queen when she was 25 years old and ruled for 44 years.
• When she was 3 years old she was taken to a house where she would live until she became the ruler. 
• Mary, the half sister of Elizabeth, was also sent to that place, but to help with Elizabeth's ascension to the throne, not to be the queen herself. 
• A law was then passed that told Henry only his children that had been born to Anne were valid candidates for the throne.
• Anne then had a miscarriage of a boy. She was beheaded.  
• Elizabeth was inspired by her father's power, and she wanted to achieve that greatness one day.
• Henry VIII's health began to steadily decline and he was no longer the power his daughter envision of him. 
• Elizabeth lost her father, and she did not know what would happen to her in the future. 
• A regency would have to formed until Edward VI came of age to be a fit ruler .
• Elizabeth was taught to handle her life on her own, as her guardians would not help her.
• Her brother was advised to not help her, and he had to obey, still being too young to make his won decisions.  Elizabeth was completely alone. 
• Finally the gossip passed and Edward was allowed to speak to her again. Her life seemed to be brought back together, but things do not stay peaceful. 
• Dudley, Edward's advisor, realized that if Edward died without children Mary, a Catholic, would become Queen. He would be out of a job. So he figured out that he would need to get rid of Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth, Lady Jane Grey would become queen. 
• But Edward died, and Mary became Queen. Dudley was executed. 
• Elizabeth noticed that she could become Queen next  if she behaved herself correctly. She grew quiet and made no more town gossip erupt on her behalf. 
• People were very enthusiastic at the beginning of Mary's reign but the more she tried to reform England back to Catholicism, they grew less fond of her. 
• Protestant martyrs were burned. 
• Elizabeth was approached by rebels and in 1554, their plan culminated into an act that could have ended her life. 
• She was put in the Tower of England, but there was no evidence against her, so Mary had to release her. 
• Then she was placed under house arrest. 
• Mary thought she was going to die, and also that she was pregnant. She was terrified. Her husband persuaded her to reconcile with Elizabeth. 
• This reconciliation was the only way Elizabeth would be the next in line for the English throne. 
• After a very bad political and physical year, Mary had to succumb to the fact that Elizabeth was to be the next Queen. The conditions were that she not reform England from what Mary had done to it. '
• Mary died and in 1558 Elizabeth was crowned Queen of England. 
• Because of all of the problems Elizabeth had faced in her life, she was not afraid of anything being the Queen would do to her. 
• Parliament advised Elizabeth to marry and try to secure herself an heir. She firmly refused. 
• Robert Dudley had a relationship with the Queen. 
• The only problem in his plan to marry the Queen- Robert was married to Amy Robsart. She was soon found dead at the foot of a flight of stairs.  
• The Queen and Dudley were under suspicion and they were not allowed to get married unless the death of Amy Robsart was proven to not be a murder.  
• If Elizabeth were to die, there were four claims to the English throne. One of these was Mary Queen of Scots. 
• After many years of being a prisoner to Elizabeth, Mary was killed. That eliminated one of the claims to the throne. 
• The age of Elizabeth was known as the Elizabethan Age. 
• A man from France came to Elizabeth to ask for her hand in marriage. This would form an alliance against Spain.  
• The Spanish and the English began fighting in 1588. 
• The English armada was a much greater force than the Spanish fleet. The English won the battles.  
• Robert D'oeuvre, the stepson of Robert Dudley, caught the eye of the Queen. The problems they would face if they began a relationship would be scorn from the people because of the vast difference between the Queen and Robert. 
• He was not a good person and he often abused her. 
• With the threat of a rebellion upon her, Elizabeth confessed that she was about to die. 
• At the hour of her death, she appointed James VI to be her successor to the throne. 
• She left England with all of its problems that she had tried to ignore, such as economic problems, religious conflicts, and Parliament's troubles. But she was still revered as the greatest Queen of England.   

Henry VIII: Break from Wife, Church Leader

At the height of King Henry VIII’s reign, he felt that he needed to make a few changes in his life and the life of his kingdom. The two main changes he made were his divorce of his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and his making himself the head of the Church of England. In the king’s eyes he was justified in both of these actions, but the truth as judged by today’s standards, was that he was only justified in one of his actions. It was necessary for King Henry to divorce his wife and marry another because he needed to be sure that the throne be given to a son of his, which Catherine had failed to give him. King Henry’s declaration that he was the head of the Church of England, in contrast, was not justified.

            King Henry’s divorce of his wife, Catherine of Aragon, while it was not completely acceptable, was justified given the circumstances. Being a king was not only about ruling a nation, it was about having an heir to the throne, the only thing the loyal Catherine could not give to her royal husband. While it can be said that Henry was scared out of his unclean marriage to the widow of his brother because of a Bible passage, this is simply not true. Had Henry VIII been more of a religious man, he would not have wanted to divorce in the first place because in Matthew 19:6 it is said, “So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate" (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2019:6&version=NIV). So it is concluded that Henry divorced Catherine simply to secure that he would have a successor to his throne. This is made even more evident in Catherine’s letters to Henry, in which even after the divorce still calls him her husband and sees herself as the Queen. “My most dear lord, king and husband… I pardon you everything, and I wish to devoutly pray God that He will pardon you also… Katharine the Quene,” (http://englishhistory.net/tudor/letter5.html). In her own words, Catherine had written to Henry, who she knew to be her husband, telling him that she knew why she had to be divorced, and she did not hold anything against him for that. Catherine knew that it was only her failure to provide Henry with a male heir that she had been divorced, and not for any other reason.

            The other successful attempt Henry made to reform the power of the English throne was becoming the self-appointed head of the Church of England. This was not justified under any circumstances. This choice was brought about because of his decision to divorce his wife. The Pope refused to have their divorce made official by any means, and this made Henry VIII angry. He tried everything he could to make his divorce a reality, but to no avail. The King sent Thomas Wolsey, the king’s chief minister, but “that for the cardinal's sake the king's matrimonial suit would have the worse speed,” (http://englishhistory.net/tudor/priwols1.html). After his man best suited for the job failed, the King decided to take matters into his own hands. What followed was the Act of Supremacy which made Henry “the supreme head of the Church of England, and so is recognized by the clergy of this realm,” (http://www.thenagain.info/Classes/Sources/ActSupremacy.html). This Act made Henry have absolute dictatorship over the Church of England and he could do what he wished. He could demand for the divorce to take place and be valid, and the Pope and any other clergyman would have to subscribe to the king’s will. This cannot be justified, even if Henry did need to be divorced.

            Not only was Henry’s decision to make himself the head of the Church of England unjustified, but once he began to understand the type of authority it gave him, he became a downright menace with power. This power was finally realized and put to use in 1539 at Glastonbury Abbey. King Henry and his new chief minister Thomas Cromwell suppressed the monasteries of Glastonbury Abbey. The effects of this made Henry a political tyrant. When Henry had the monasteries suppressed, he received all of the land owned by them and was proclaimed the most wealthy man in England, having a third of the country’s currency. From there, Henry was unstoppable in his quest for complete and absolute power. To be kept on the good side of the aristocracy, the people who mattered in Henry’s eyes, he gave them parts of his wealth. From this grew Protestantism and a continuing separation from Rome. (http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/h8-glastonbury.html). This all stemmed from the fact that Henry wanted a divorce from his wife. Henry made himself the head of the Church, which was unjustified, and then he stole land and wealth from the monasteries and gave it to his aristocracy, which was unjustified. The entirety of Henry’s reign as the head of the Church of England was completely and fully unjustified.

            Henry VIII felt that he should get whatever he wanted, since he was the king. If he was told that he could not have his way, he turned the entire country of England on its head until he found a way to get his way. Whether his request was to be divorced from his wife or to gain ultimate wealth, Henry did it. The argument still stands that Henry was justified in divorcing his wife for someone who could give him a male heir and he was not justified in appointing himself the head of the Church.  

"Matthew 19:6 - Passage Lookup - New International Version - BibleGateway.com."BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages.Web. 04 Oct. 2010. <http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew 19:6&version=NIV>.

"Primary Sources - Letter of Katharine of Aragon to Her Husband, King Henry VIII, 7 January 1536." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. <http://englishhistory.net/tudor/letter5.html>.

"Primary Sources: The Fall of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, 1530." EnglishHistory.net. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. <http://englishhistory.net/tudor/priwols1.html>.

"The Act of Supremacy." Then Again. . . Web. 04 Oct. 2010. <http://www.thenagain.info/Classes/Sources/ActSupremacy.html>.

"Medieval Sourcebook: The Suppression of Glastonbury Abbey." FORDHAM.EDU. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/h8-glastonbury.html>.