Machiavelli's Art of War

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) was an important Italian statesman and poet during the Renaissance. As a senior official and diplomat of the Republic of Florence, he encountered the great and powerful and thus became acquainted with the world of politics. Having said this, his destiny took a turn along with historical events: Machiavelli fell into disgrace in Florence after the Medici seized power in 1512 and was even banned from the city. As a result of this event, he became a sharp critic of the prevailing circumstances, and recorded his profound thoughts in numerous significant literary works.

A Critical Military Treatise

Machiavelli considered his treatise Dell'Arte della Guerra to be the most important of his literary works. The document is divided into seven chapters and is set up as a dialogue among the friends of the Ruceelai Familia, who convene in the Orti Oricellari in Florence, where Machiavelli himself was often present. The content is comprised of a harsh criticism of the political and military leadership in Italy. In his paper, Machiavelli postulates a structural reform of the Italian military in order to make it more efficient and to revive lost morale.

An Accolade to Roman Military Discipline

Machiavelli presents the Roman military as a paragon. The organization, training, equipment, and other aspects of the Roman military are presented in detailed depictions. Therefore, e.g. various battle formations and strategies, the structure of fortifications, or proposed military exercises come up. Additionally, a diagram is drawn of the ideal deployment of the army in a standard battle situation is included.

Strozzi, Medici, and Magliabechiana

This precious specimen of the Machiavellian Dell'Arte della Guerra, which originated in the year 1519–20 and is stored today under the shelf mark Banco Rari 29 in the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze, boasts an exciting provenance. This text was in the possession of the Strozzi family and was acquired in 1786 by Archduke Pietro Leopoldo de` Medici. As a document of the famous Magliabechiana, the library of Antonio Magliabechi, it was made public after his death and became an important cornerstone of the the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale.