Machiavelli, Niccolò - Florence, Italy

Niccolò Machiavelli

Basilica e Santa Croce

Florence, Italy

N 43° 46.121 E 011° 15.714

A tomb for historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, and writer, Niccolò Machiavelli is located on the wall of the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. The marble tomb was sculpted by Innocenzo Spinazzi in 1787.  An allegorical female figure representing Politics is dressed in robes and seated on top of a sarcophagus. She holds a portrait of Machiavelli against her right leg with her right hand and symbols of Politics, History and Poetry in her left hand. Below the sarcophagus is the inscription:

TANOT NOMINI NVLLUM PAR ELOGIVM

NICOLVS MACHIAVELLI

OBIT AN A.P.V. CIƆDDXXVII

NO EPITAPH SUITS SUCH A GREAT NAME

NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

DIED A.P.V. (Great Loyal and Faithful) CIƆDDXXVII (1527)

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469 in Florence, Republic of Florence. No official records of Machiavelli's life appear until after the fall of Savonarola's government in 1498 when is was 29 years old. The Florentine republic had been reinstated, and Machiavelli was appointed as secretary of the Second Chancery. He soon became secretary Florence's foreign policy committee, the Council of Ten of War. In this capacity he functioned as a diplomat, traveling throughout Italy and Europe to negotiate with potential allies.

Machiavelli is most famous for his writings, especially The Prince (Il Principe), written in 1513, where is espouses his political philosophy advancing the idea of a "new prince" as opposed to the hereditary system that currently prevailed in much of Europe. Machiavelli thought that public and private morality must be separated in order to rule well. A ruler must be willing to act immorally at certain times. His philosophy has become known as Machiavellianism.

Other works by Machiavelli include fictional political, and historical writings. They include:

Comedia di Callimaco: E di Lucretia, comedy, c. 1518
Mandragola (The Mandrake), comedy, 1520,
Vita di Castruccio Castracani, biography, 1520
La Clizia, drama, 1525
Belfagor arcidiavolo, novella, 1527
Dell'arte della guerra (On the Art of War) 1521
Discorsi sulla prima deca di Tito Livio (Discourses on the First 10 books of Livy) 1531
Istorie Fiorentine (History of Florence) 1532

Basilica of Santa Croce