Centuries before Niccolò was born, the Machiavelli family emerged from a particularly violent period of Florentine history. In the 13th century, the Machiavellis aligned with the Guelph party backed by the papacy against the Ghibellines backed by the Holy Roman Emperor. Going back and forth, both sides would create factions that openly slaughtered the opposing members, driving them from the city where they would return later to fight back. It is here that the Machiavelli name is first mentioned in historical ddocuments whe their name is mentioned amongst the ransacked houses during a Ghibellines attack. In 1267, the Guelphs returned and torched many Ghibellines's homes in the heart of the city. Shortly after, the Guelphs had split into two rival factions, the Black and the White, where the Machiavellis aligned with the former. Under the Donati-led faction, the Blacks were capable of remaining victorious over the Whites, and at one point exiled the White-aligning Dante Alighieri. Though not a leader of the Black Guelphs, the family had been named as a "notable" citizen family and were listed as popolani, otherwise known as progressive and prosperous merchants.
In Florence, the Machiavelli family carried some prestige due to helping found the thirteen Gonfalonieres of Justice, and establishing themselves as bankers and merchants. His father Bernardo could even claim some nobility through the minor Castllani family, granting some benefits like prestige and a meager profit. As a family, they could be recognized as part of the city's ruling elite. Living in stability, rough patches of time still enabled the Machiavellis to rely on their own resources to remain stable.
While not much information exists during Niccolò Machiavelli's adolescence, it is clear that he was born on May 3, 1469 to Bernardo di Niccolò Machiavelli and Bartolomea di Stefano Nelli in Florence on the ununified Italian peninsula. Though living under a stable income from his properties, Bernardo had accumulated the debts of his ancestors, barring him from the legal guild, and succumbed to solely managing his estates where his immediate family and cousins lived. For this, the family was able to provide for itself yet unable to rise to the top of the social ladder because of the family name tarnished by years of debt and inactivity. While in a property dispute with the powerful Pazzi family, Niccolò recognizes that the influence of the Pazzi in government made it nearly impossible to contest them. This brief moment forms part of his political theory due to the might over the weak and its effectiveness. Machiavelli did receive a formal education, but like most Florentine men of the time, spent his days visiting taverns and brothels, before settling down with his wife Marietta Corscini in 1502.
Wanting to make something of his half-spent life, Machiavelli moved into the political sphere and received his first assignment in 1498: to spy on the radial Dominican preacher Savonarola. While skeptical of religion and unmoved, Machiavelli noticed that the followers listened to his rhetoric even after being barred from preaching in Florence. His religious indifference proved to be vital in assisting the Republic, and he returned as the Second Chancelor to complete his next famous task: to act as a diplomat for Pope Alexander VI's illegitimate son Cesare Borgia. While touring from 1502 to 1503, Machiavelli noticed the harsh but effective means by which the fighter led his troops to conquer lands in the name of the Pope. This encounter formed the base of his political theory and Borgia would be the main influence in "The Prince".
While not much information exists during Niccolò Machiavelli's adolescence, it is clear that he was born on May 3, 1469 to Bernardo di Niccolò Machiavelli and Bartolomea di Stefano Nelli in Florence on the ununified Italian peninsula. Though living under a stable income from his properties, Bernardo had accumulated the debts of his ancestors, barring him from the legal guild, and succumbed to solely managing his estates where his immediate family and cousins lived. For this, the family was able to provide for itself yet unable to rise to the top of the social ladder because of the family name tarnished by years of debt and inactivity. While in a property dispute with the powerful Pazzi family, Niccolò recognizes that the influence of the Pazzi in government made it nearly impossible to contest them. This brief moment forms part of his political theory due to the might over the weak and its effectiveness. Machiavelli did receive a formal education, but like most Florentine men of the time, spent his days visiting taverns and brothels, before settling down with his wife Marietta Corscini in 1502.
Wanting to make something of his half-spent life, Machiavelli moved into the political sphere and received his first assignment in 1498: to spy on the radial Dominican preacher Savonarola. While skeptical of religion and unmoved, Machiavelli noticed that the followers listened to his rhetoric even after being barred from preaching in Florence. His religious indifference proved to be vital in assisting the Republic, and he returned as the Second Chancelor to complete his next famous task: to act as a diplomat for Pope Alexander VI's illegitimate son Cesare Borgia. While touring from 1502 to 1503, Machiavelli noticed the harsh but effective means by which the fighter led his troops to conquer lands in the name of the Pope. This encounter formed the base of his political theory and Borgia would be the main influence in "The Prince".