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Papers > History > DESIDERIUS ERASMUS AND NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI AS ADVISERS TO PRINCES
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DESIDERIUS ERASMUS AND NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI AS ADVISERS TO PRINCES |
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Desiderius Erasmus and Niccolo Machiavelli could both be seen as advisors to princes- but each had differing emphasis and motives. Both writers were implicitly or explicitly responding to the effect of the Italo-Burgundian cult of chivalry ,which placed great emphasis on the development of martial skills as the most useful advice to a prince: Machiavelli accepting and refining it and Erasmus rejecting it as against the teaching of Christ. ... I will also look at their respective works that contain their advice to princes,’ Enchiridion Militis Christiani’, ‘Querela Pacis’ and ‘Institutio Principis Christiani’ by Erasmus and ‘The Prince’ and ‘The Art of War’ by Machiavelli. The Dutch Humanist, Desiderius Erasmus, was reputedly born at Rotterdam on October 28, 1466, the illegitimate son of a physician’s daughter by a man who afterwards became a monk. ... The bishop of Cambrai made Erasmus his private secretary. After taking his priest’s orders Erasmus went to Paris, where he studied at College Montaigu. ... 3 Niccoló Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy. ... Machiavelli was appointed head of the new governments Second Chancery, and secretary of an agency concerned with warfare and diplomacy (1498-1512). ... Machiavelli considered himself to be an expert on the special art of statecraft (arte dello stato). Erasmus and Machiavelli took different paths in their lives and in their careers. Erasmus was a highly educated man who studied in many universities, whereas, little is known about the education of Machiavelli and whether or not he attended university. Erasmus was a humanist in the true sense of the word, while Machiavelli could be considered a humanist through his writings and beliefs rather than his education. Their diverse backgrounds would influence their advice to princes and their careers. In the Manual for a Christian Soldier (Enchiridion Militis Christiani, published by Froben, Basel, 1519) Erasmus diminishes the importance of the social distinction between king, noble, and commoner. Exalted social functions and position do not affect the ontological parity of human beings, and the legitimacy of any kings rule, Erasmus insists, depends on the kings fulfilling his proper role as the peoples faithful servant. To make this point Erasmus speaks by analogy; as the king of the human mental faculties must rule with wisdoms foresight in the long range interest of the whole human being, so must the head of a country exercise his judgment to advance the kingdoms common good. ... Erasmus moved to Brabant, where he had influential friends at the Habsburg court of the Netherlands in Brussels, notably the grand chancellor, Jean Sauvage. ... Erasmus goes to great pains to impress strict rules of royal conduct on the young King Charles of Spain (later the emperor Charles V. ... Erasmus stated “A prince who is about to assume control of the state must be advised at once that the main hope of a state lies in the proper education of its youth. ... Erasmus also stated in ‘Institutio Principis Christiani’ that a prince should not only preserve “the present prosperity of the state but also. ... 4 Machiavelli begins ‘The Prince’ by describing the two principal types of governments: monarchies and republics. ... Machiavelli widely praised Caesar Borgia, a Spanish aristocrat who became a notorious and much despised tyrant of the Romagna region of northern Italy. ... Does Machiavelli hold up Borgia as the model prince? ... However, this theory fell apart when, in 1810, a letter by Machiavelli was discovered in which he reveals that he wrote The Prince to endear himself to the ruling Medici family in Florence His focus in ‘The Prince’ is on monarchies. |
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Title: DESIDERIUS ERASMUS AND NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI AS ADVISERS TO PRINCES
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