Madrigal: The Life and Times of Niccolo Machiavelli

The life and times of Niccolo Machiavelli (3 May, 1469 - 21 June 1527) the great Italian political thinker and intellectual of the Renaissance, written as an historical novel derived largely from his own words, accounts, letters and authentic historical records. For fourteen years he worked tirelessly as Florence's premier diplomat to represent his weak and ineffectual city-state in the courts of powerful kings, emperors and popes. From his experiences and keen observations, Niccolo gradually developed his own views and theories on how the powerful actually behave rather than how they ought to. He was instrumental in introducing a political philosophy more modern than medieval, one centered on power rather than morality. He sought to understand the way forward through careful study of the past, in particular the Roman past, in order to find solutions to unite the Italians and rid Italy of foreign armies and domination. His contemporaries were men like Christopher Columbus, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Cesare Borgia (better known as Duke Valentino) and Pope Julius II, to name a few. Niccolo Machiavelli did indeed live in interesting times! He was shaped by his culture and milieu, the violence and chaos and historical shifts occuring at the time, but was able in turn, to shape them as well.

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