Cruel to be Kind

In Florence, Italy on May 3rd, 1469, a boy who would grow up to be one of the most hated people in history was born. His name was Niccolo Machiavelli and though many believe he was a malicious, diabolical person, others believe he was a political realist, genius and someone who dared to say the truth. He was most famous for his book, Il principe (The Prince) which regards the topic of how rulers can acquire and maintain their power. Despite the harshness of his writings, Niccolo Machiavelli was simply showing his interest and care for the amelioration of government in Italy.
The people Niccolo Machiavelli grew up watching were people that influenced the way he thought. Some of these influences were ones he saw early on in his life. Machiavelli was born into a rich family, and had a rigorous education. In 1494, he went into the Florentine government as a clerk. This was the same year that the powerful Medici family lost their dominance over Italy and were forced into exile. This is when he began his career as a diplomat and did work for the major cities in Italy, France and Spain. During this time, he met many important people like Louis XII and Pope Julius II. However, around 1502, Machiavelli began to serve as a political advisor for the Borgia family, the family who was ruling Italy at the time (Machiavelli and Political Thought). He came into contact with Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander. (European Graduate School, Machiavelli Biography). Borgia greatly impacted him, and Machiavelli watched as he expanded his power across central Italy, using cruelty, not kindness. Borgia was evil, and not only was he a murderous warlord, but he also did other outrageous deeds like taking the church’s wealth for his own family, and e...

... middle of paper ...

... the things he did. Machiavelli’s genius was so overlooked in his time especially since people were so caught up being offended by the things that he said. He was so legendary, in fact, that people still talk about him today, with the conspiracy around Tupac Shakur, who “died,” yet some believe he is still alive and faked his death. People believe that Shakur was going in his footsteps because he read a prodigious amount of Machiavelli books when he was in jail, and even changed his stage name to “Makaveli” just before his alleged death. Machiavelli’s name is still tossed around today, hundreds of years after he was alive. Ultimately, Machiavelli was concerned for the greater good of Italy and tried to help by inputting his ideas about ruling. It is too easy to deem someone as “evil” or “wrong” if the views they express are different from what is commonly accepted.