Machiavelli

1. The Church as a Political Obstacle

In the early 16th century, the Catholic Church wasn’t just a religion; it was the Papal States, a physical territory in central Italy.

• The “Spoiler” Role: Machiavelli famously argued in The Discourses that the Church was too weak to unite Italy itself, but just strong enough to prevent anyone else from doing it.

• Foreign Intervention: To protect its own land, the Papacy frequently called in “barbarian” powers (like France or Spain), which Machiavelli loathed. He blamed the Church for the fragmented, war-torn state of the Italian peninsula.

2. Institutional vs. Spiritual Critique

Machiavelli wasn’t necessarily an atheist (that’s a debated topic), but he was a fierce critic of clerical corruption.

• Moral Decay: He believed the bad examples set by the Roman Court (especially under the Borgia and Medici Popes) had caused Italians to lose their religious devotion.

• The “Pagan” Comparison: He looked back at Ancient Rome and admired how their religion encouraged “virile” civic virtues—bravery, strength, and sacrifice for the state. He felt Christianity, by contrast, glorified humility and suffering, which made the population “soft” and easy for tyrants to manage.

3. The Church in The Prince

In Chapter 11, Machiavelli discusses Ecclesiastical Principalities. His tone here is famously sarcastic:

• “Sustained by Higher Powers”: He writes that these states are maintained by religious ordinances so powerful that their princes stay in power regardless of how they live or rule.

• The Practicality of Power: Despite his irony, he deeply admired Pope Alexander VI and his son, Cesare Borgia, for their ruthless efficiency. He also praised Pope Julius II for being a “true” prince who expanded Church territory through bold military action rather than just prayer.

Period	Affiliation	Status
1498–1512	Florentine Republic	Power-player, Diplomat, Citizin Militia Founder
1512–1513	Prison/Exile	Suspected Rebel, Torture Victim
1513–1527	The Medici (Patronage)	Struggling Writer, Minor Historian

On the Power of the People

• “I say that the people are more prudent, more stable, and of better judgment than a prince.”

• “The desires of free peoples are rarely harmful to liberty, because they arise either from being oppressed or from the suspicion that they are going to be oppressed.”

• “A people that commands and is well ordered will be stable, prudent, and grateful no less than a prince, or better than a prince.”

On Conflict and Liberty

• “To me those who condemn the tumults between the Nobles and the Plebs blame those things that were the first cause of keeping Rome free.”

• “In every republic there are two different humors, that of the people and that of the great; and… all the laws that are made in favor of liberty are brought forth by their insolence.”

• “One cannot by any means better establish a republic than by providing for it in such a mode that the city is sufficient for its own defense by its own arms.”

On Corruption and Decay

• “For where the matter is not corrupt, tumults and other scandals do no harm; but where it is corrupt, well-ordered laws are of no use.”

• “Just as good customs require laws to maintain them, so laws require good customs to be observed.”

• “A corrupt people that lives under a prince, if it becomes free, can only with the greatest difficulty maintain its liberty.”

On “Returning to Beginnings” (Reform)

• “It is a very true thing that all worldly things have a limit to their life… those are the best ordered and have the longest life that can often be renewed.”

• “If one wishes a sect or a republic to live long, it is necessary to draw it back often toward its beginning.”

• “This return toward the beginning… is done either by the virtue of a man or by the virtue of an order.”

On Religion as a Political Tool

• “As the observance of divine worship is the cause of the greatness of republics, so the neglect of it is the cause of their ruin.”

• “Our religion has glorified humble and contemplative men rather than active ones. It has then placed the highest good in humility, abjectness, and contempt of things human.”

• “The ancient religion… did not beatify men unless they were full of worldly glory, such as captains of armies and princes of republics.”

On Political Violence and Founding

• “It is necessary that one alone should be he who gives the mode and from whose mind any such organization depends.”

• “It is very suitable that when the deed accuses him, the effect excuses him; and when the effect is good… it will always excuse him.”

• “He who becomes a tyrant and does not kill Brutus, and he who makes a free state and does not kill the sons of Brutus, maintains himself for only a short time.”

• Anti-Mercenary: He believed mercenaries were the “cancer” of Italy. They are brave when there is no war and cowards when there is.

• State Violence bracnheh

• The “Vivere Libero” (Living Free): A citizen who trains for war is a citizen who invested in the state’s survival. This creates virtù.

• The Direction: The state must arm its own people. By doing so, the government proves it does not fear its citizens, and the citizens prove they are worthy of libert

Machiavelli had a very specific, almost Spartan view of economics within a Republic. He was wary of extreme private wealth because it leads to “corruption” (buying votes, hiring private assassins, etc.).

• Public Grandeur: The Republic should be wealthy—magnificent public buildings, strong walls, and a full treasury.

• Private Frugality: The citizens should be relatively equal and modest.

• The Quote: “A well-ordered Republic should keep the Public rich and its Citizens poor.”

• The Market’s Role: He saw trade and markets not as ends in themselves, but as the “sinews” that provided the resources for the state to defend itself. However, he warned that once luxury becomes the primary goal, the Republic begins to die.

• The Roman Model: He preferred the “Expansionist Republic” (like Rome) over the “Quiet Republic” (like Venice or Sparta).

• Trade as Power: Controlling trade routes and territory wasn’t just about money; it was about security. If you don’t control the routes, your enemies will use them to starve you.

• Population Growth: He argued a Republic must be “open.” It should encourage immigration and trade to increase its population, because a large population equals a larger militia.

The flaw in Machiavelli’s “Expansion or Decay” logic is the Imperial Overstretch.

• The Argument: By choosing the Roman model (Expansion), you guarantee that the state will eventually become so large it must become a Tyranny to manage its borders (which is exactly what happened to Rome).

• The Alternative: A “Networked Republic”—expanding through trade, shared laws, and soft power (integration)—might be more resilient than one based on the “Dams and Dikes” of military force.