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Guicciardini's Ricordi fails to make the clear distinction between public and private morality made by Machiavelli, but it combines shrewd personal observation with fragmentary political analysis. Guicciardini's Selected Writings has an introduction by the editor, Cecil Grayson. Politics and History in Sixteenth-century Florence His father disapproved of his choice and he turned to the law and a political career in Florence.

The government of Florence appointed him as an ambassador to King Ferdinand of Spain. Guicciardini became the papal governor of Reggio and Modena, towns of northern Italy then under the control of the pope.

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As governor of Parma, he defended the town against an assault by the French, an action that was rewarded by Pope Clement VII with an appointment as vice regent of Romagna and then as lieutenant-general of the army of the pope. In Guicciardini became the governor of Bologna, but in resigned his post.


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By this time he was disillusioned with the ambition and greed of the popes and decided to seek his fortune by allying with the Medici clan. For this the city of Florence, which had expelled the Medici, declared him an outlaw. After Alessandro de' Medici, his patron and protector, was murdered in , Guicciardini allied himself with Cosimo de' Medici, a boy whom Guicciardini believed he could manipulate and through whom he hoped to rule Florence as a regent.

Seeing through his machinations, however, Medici dismissed Guicciardini and exiled him to his country home. With his hopes of power and influence in Florence ended, Guicciardini began to write The History of Italy , the work for which he is best known. In great detail, this work describes events in Italy in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. He also set down his thoughts on politics and religion in the Ricordi Politici , a commentary on the works of Machiavelli , and essays collected under the title of Political Discourses.

He represented —14 his native Florence at the court of Spain, held offices in the Florentine government, and in entered the service of Pope Leo X. An able administrator, he was appointed governor of Modena , commissary of the papal army , and president of the Romagna After , when he lost his high office as a result of the invasion of the papal states by the army of Emperor Charles V, Guicciardini devoted himself chiefly to writing.

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Breaking with medieval tradition, he removed history from the realm of literature and related it to the development of states. His history of Italy, written in his maturity and covering the period — the period of the Italian Wars , is the masterwork of Italian historical literature of the Renaissance. It is distinguished by its clear-eyed analysis of motives, events, and persons. A follower of Machiavelli, Guicciardini has been accused of cynical realism.


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His history of Florence from to , written in his youth, was published in It is marked by extreme simplicity and directness of style. Guicciardini also wrote a collection of maxims, translated as Counsels and Reflections See studies by F. Gilbert and R. Italian historian and statesman; b.

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Arcetri, May 22, From his parents, Piero di Jacopo and Simona Gianfigliazzi, he inherited an attachment to the Medici party. He studied law in Ferrara and Padua and gained his doctor's degree at Pisa. He married Maria Salviati in , established a lucrative law practice, and wrote the Storie fiorentine dal al , showing wisdom and judgment beyond his years. Early in , before reaching the statutory age of 30, he was named ambassador to the court of Ferdinand V of Castile, whose portrait he so deftly drew.

Upon his return to Italy in , he entered the service of the Medici, who had become rulers of Florence in In Leo X appointed him governor of Modena and later of Reggio and Parma, which he successfully defended against the French in In he was made president of the Romagna.

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He fulfilled these offices conscientiously and with ability and firmness. After the battle of Pavia , he was instrumental in forming the League of Cognac against Charles V, and became lieutenant-general of the papal forces. His desire to save Italy was hindered by the dilatory tactics of the Duke of Urbino, commander of the League's troops. During the siege of Florence by Charles V, Guicciardini. But after the Medici returned to power in , he served as adviser to Alessandro and even defended him against the Florentine exiles at Naples.

His efforts assured the independence of Florence from Charles V, but they did not prevent the assassination of Alessandro by Lorenzino in January Guicciardini was instrumental in the election of Cosimo de Medici , but his later attempts to check the duke's absolutism led to his political decline. He retired to his villa in Arcetri, spending the leisure of his last years in the composition of the Storia d' Italia.

Guicciardini is noteworthy for having broken away from the narrow concept of local municipal chronicles. This tag is designed for use where there may be a need to assert that any enhancements eg brightness, contrast, colour-matching, sharpening are in themselves insufficiently creative to generate a new copyright. It can be used where it is unknown whether any enhancements have been made, as well as when the enhancements are clear but insufficient.

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You already recently rated this item. Your rating has been recorded. Write a review Rate this item: Preview this item Preview this item. Storie fiorentine dal al Author: Francesco Guicciardini ; Roberto Palmarocchi Publisher: Italian View all editions and formats Rating: Allow this favorite library to be seen by others Keep this favorite library private.

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