Florentine Histories


Florentine Histories is a historical account by Italian Renaissance political philosopher and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, first published posthumously in 1532.

Background

In 1520, Machiavelli managed to get back into the good graces of the Medici family, so much so that Giulio Cardinal de Medici commissioned him to write a history of Florence. At this point, Machiavelli had two other job offers, one as chancellor of Ragusa and another as chancellor to the condottiere Prospero Colonna, the latter offering a salary four times higher than his history commission. Despite the financial incentive and the urging of his former boss, Piero Soderini, Machiavelli declined both offers. He chose instead to write the Florentine Histories, aligning himself with esteemed humanist predecessors like Bruni and Poggio. The commission also hinted at potential future diplomatic work, which may have influenced his decision, as it offered a path back to political engagement similar to his earlier career.
The finished work was presented officially to Giulio de' Medici, now Pope Clement VII, in May 1526. The Pope liked the work and rewarded him, and asked him support in the creation of a national army, in the preparations for the War of the League of Cognac. However, after the Sack of Rome (1527) and the fall of the Medici government in Florence, Machiavelli eventually hoped to gain favor with the new government. Machiavelli would die soon afterwards.

The work

Machiavelli followed the tradition of humanist historians by structuring his work as "histories," organizing it into books with introductory sections and crafted speeches presented as authentic records. However, his narrative unfolds in a broader, almost philosophical framework being a struggle between virtue and fortune. Central to the Florentine Histories is Florence’s destructive factionalism, which, unlike the productive conflicts of ancient Rome, left the city fragmented and morally decayed. Like his Discourses on Livy, the work includes subtle critiques of the Church and vivid character sketches, particularly of the Medici, with the narrative pivoting around Cosimo de’ Medici’s return from exile in 1434. It also contains a notably dramatic speech attributed to Michele di Lando, leader of the 1378 Ciompi Revolt, which briefly established Florence’s most democratic government. He also relays in detail the Pazzi conspiracy against the Medici, and the means of which it was put down. While not a modern historian, Machiavelli demonstrates a commitment to factual analysis through his focus on "diverse effects," blending historical detail with his signature political insight. Scholar Michelle T. Clarke has noted a theme of critique against the humanist tradition, which has been said to dominate Florentine intellectual circles in Machiavelli's day.