History of Florence and of the Affairs of Italy, Vol. 1

The great political theorist behind The Prince turns his analytical gaze backward, writing the history he was paid to write by the very family that destroyed the republic he served. Commissioned by Cardinal Giulio de' Medici (soon to become Pope Clement VII) in 1520, Machiavelli undertook to chronicle Florence's past as a way of regaining the Medici's favor after their return to power. The result is something far more layered than mere court propaganda: a master of political philosophy applying his forensic eye to four centuries of Florentine faction, betrayal, and ambition. Volume One carries the story from Florence's origins through the death of Lorenzo de' Medici in 1492, tracing the rise of the republic, the explosive conflict between Guelph and Ghibelline, and the slow consolidation of Medici power. Yet even within this official commission, Machiavelli cannot help but observe how rulers truly acquire and hold power, drawing connections between past crises and present realities. For readers who cherish The Prince and The Discourses, this is Machiavelli the historian: equally penetrating, equally unsentimental, and infinitely richer in concrete example.