why did machiavelli write the art of war coursework

At the end of the dialogue, in Book Seven, Machiavelli’s Fabrizio offers 27 “general rules” of war, which are listed here: Ryan Evans is the editor-in-chief of War on the Rocks. (As an aside, the more famous Art of War is Sun Tzu’s but that text was not actually called Art of War and may not have been written by Sun Tzu – another matter for another time.). However, his theories were not merely based on a thorough study and analysis of classical and contemporary military practices. Machiavelli also holds a place in the history of imaginative literature, above all for…. Unfortunately, at least for Machiavelli’s reputation, those circumstances changed between 1513, when he wrote The Prince, and 1532, when it was published (only one of Machiavelli’s works, The Art of War in 1521, was published during his lifetime). It is better to defeat the enemy by hunger than with steel; in such victory fortune counts more than … Italian literature In Art of War, the dialogue explains and predicts changes in European warfare and military affairs as a consequence of larger social, economic, and technological evolutions. Whoever pursues a routed enemy in a disorganized manner, does nothing but become vanquished from having been a victor. The Art of War. Accidents are remedied with difficulty, unless you quickly take the facility of thinking. The unarmed rich man is the prize of the poor soldier. Fabrizio dominates the discussions with his knowledge, wisdom and insights. These dialogues, then, often become monologues with Fabrizio detailing how an army should be raised, trained, organized, deployed and employed. The Art of War (1521), one of only a few works of Machiavelli to be published during his lifetime, is a dialogue set in the Orti Oricellari, a garden in Florence where humanists gathered to discuss philosophy and…, …on Dell’arte della guerra (1521; The Art of War), concerning the creation of a modern army, were more technical, whereas his historical works, including the Istorie fiorentine (1520–25; Florentine History), exemplified theories expounded in his treatises. …Copernican (1632); and even Machiavelli’s The Art of War (1521) takes the form of a genteel conversation in a quiet Florentine garden. [4] They would lay the foundations for the system of linear tactics which would dominate the warfare of Europe and the world until after the Napoleonic Wars. "[2] However, the native fighting force he assiduously oversaw was struck a catastrophic defeat in Prato in 1512 which led to the downfall of the Florentine republican government. Niccolo Machiavelli is best known for The Prince, his guidebook on ruling an Italian city-state. He believed that all society, religion, science, and art rested on the security provided by the military.[3]. This does not mean that the progress of military art in the sixteenth century—in drilling, in dividing an army into distinct units, in planning and organizing campaigns-was due to the influence of Machiavelli. Like most people concerned with military matters, Jefferson had Machiavelli's Art of War in his library, and when the War of 1812 increased American interest in problems of war, The Art of War was brought out in a special American edition."[6]. In addition Machiavelli was not writing in a vacuum; Art of War was written as a practical proposition to the rulers of Florence as an alternative to the unreliable condottieri mercenaries upon which all the Italian city states were reliant. Whoever trusts more in cavalry than in infantry, or more in infantry than in cavalry, must settle for the location. The virtu of the soldiers is worth more than a multitude, and the site is often of more benefit than virtu. Whoever is more vigilant in observing the designs of the enemy in war, and endures much hardship in training his army, will incur fewer dangers, and can have greater hope for victory. He is overcome with difficulty, who knows how to recognize his forces and those of the enemy. Never lead your soldiers into an engagement unless you are assured of their courage, know they are without fear, and are organized, and never make an attempt unless you see they hope for victory. Niccolò Machiavelli: The Art of War and other writings, Italian literature: Political, historical, biographical, and moral literature. Machiavelli's attempt to present Roman military organization as the model for the armies of his time was therefore not regarded as extravagant. However, his basic notion of emulating Roman practices was slowly and pragmatically adapted by many later rulers and commanders, most notably Maurice of Nassau[4] The Prince, The Art of War, and Discourses on Livy are three significant and famous works of Machiavelli. New and speedy things frighten armies, while the customary and slow things are esteemed little by them: you will therefore make your army experienced, and learn (the strength) of a new enemy by skirmishes, before you come to an engagement with him. After repeated uses of the first person singular to introduce the dialogue, Machiavelli retreats from the work, serving as neither narrator nor interlocutor. Signing up for this newsletter means you agree to our data policy. For example, in The Prince he declares that "a prince should have no other object, no any other thought, nor take anything as his art but that of war and its orders and discipline; for that is the only art which is of concern to one who commands. Change your proceeding when you become aware that the enemy has foreseen it. Men, steel, money, and bread, are the sinews of war; but of these four, the first two are more necessary, for men and steel find money and bread, but money and bread do not find men and steel. Machiavelli’s Art of War takes the form of Socratic dialogue between the warrior Lord Fabrizio Colonna and Florentine nobles. The purpose, declared by Lord Fabrizio Colonna (perhaps Machiavelli's persona) at the outset, "To honor and reward virtù, not to have contempt for poverty, to esteem the modes and orders of military discipline, to constrain citizens to love one another, to live without factions, to esteem less the private than the public good." It is better in organizing an engagement to reserve great aid behind the front line, than to spread out your soldiers to make a greater front. He was a famous philosopher and politician. The Art of War. If you want to see whether any spy has come into the camp during the day, have no one go to his quarters. Whoever does not make provisions necessary to live (eat), is overcome without steel. However at the time he was writing, firearms, both technologically and tactically, were in their infancy and the overwhelming of enemy missile-armed troops, of artillery even, between salvos, by a charge of pikes and sword and shield men would have been a viable tactic. The content and format of The Art of War are strangely at odds. Accustom your soldiers to despise delicate living and luxurious clothing. Each one is devoted to an aspect of warfare and how it applies to military strategy and tactics. A standing army of the prosperous and pampered citizens that would have formed the cavalry would have been little better. Counsel with many on the things you ought to do, and confer with few on what you do afterwards. Instead, the military innovators of the time were pleased to find a work in which aspects of their practice were explained and justified. While Machiavelli's influence as a military theorist is often given a back seat to his writings as a political philosopher, that he considered Dell'arte della guerra to be his most important work is clear from his discussions of the military science and soldiery in other works. The Art of War (1521), one of only a few works of Machiavelli to be published during his lifetime, is a dialogue set in the Orti Oricellari, a garden in Florence where humanists gathered to discuss philosophy and…. When soldiers are confined to their quarters, they are kept there by fear or punishment; then when they are led by war, (they are led) by hope and reward. In the eighteenth century, the Marshal de Saxe leaned heavily on him when he composed his Reveries upon the Art of War (1757), and Algarotti—though without much basis—saw in Machiavelli the master who has taught Frederick the Great the tactics by which he astounded Europe. Written between 1519 and 1520 and published the following year, it was Machiavelli's only historical or political work printed during his lifetime, though he was appointed official historian of Florence in 1520 and entrusted with minor civil duties. In the opening pages, after Cosimo has described his grandfather's inspiration for gardens in which the conversations are set, Fabrizio declaims that we should imitate ancient warfare rather than ancient art forms. Act so your enemies do not know how you want to organize your army for battle, and in whatever way you organize them, arrange it so that the first line can be received by the second and by the third. At the end of the sixteenth century, for instance, Justus Lipsius, in his influential writings on military affairs, also treated the Roman military order as a permanently valid model. Fabrizio was a real person, but his character in this book has been interpreted as a stand-in for Machiavelli himself. Machiavelli therefore "talks up" the advantages of a militia of those arms that Florence could realistically muster and equip from her own resources. What benefits the enemy, harms you; and what benefits you, harm the enemy. Despite this inherent contradiction, the book lacks much of the cynical tone and humour that is so characteristic of Machiavelli's other works.[7][8]. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. To know how to recognize an opportunity in war, and take it, benefits you more than anything else. The work is dedicated to Lorenzo di Filippo Strozzi, patrizio fiorentino in a preface which ostentatiously pronounces Machiavelli's authorship. The work, which is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu ("Master Sun", also spelled Sunzi), is composed of 13 chapters. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Machiavelli's Art of War echoes many themes, issues, ideas and proposals from his earlier, more widely read works, The Prince and The Discourses. [1] Fabrizio is enamored with the Roman Legions of the early to mid Roman Republic and strongly advocates adapting them to the contemporary situation of Renaissance Florence. Art of War also emphasizes the necessity of a state militia and promotes the concept of armed citizenry. and Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. "[5], In the course of the sixteenth century twenty-one editions appeared and it was translated into French, English, German, and Latin. In The Art of War, Machiavelli outlines the most efficient way to use military force. The text is wide-ranging. Machiavelli wrote that war must be expressly defined. Machiavelli himself appears to have fallen into the trap for which Fabrizio criticizes Bernardo Rucellai. This continued interest in Machiavelli as a military thinker was not only caused by the fame of his name; some of the recommendations made in the Art of War—those on training, discipline, and classification, for instance—gained increasing practical importance in early modern Europe when armies came to be composed of professionals coming from the most different social strata. Moreover, in the sixteenth century, with its wide knowledge of ancient literature and its deep respect for classical wisdom, it was commonly held that the Romans owed their military triumphs to their emphasis on discipline and training. Machiavelli was first employed in 1520 by the cardinal to resolve a case of bankruptcy in Lucca, where he took the occasion to write a sketch of its government and to compose his The Life of Castruccio Castracani of Lucca (1520; La vita di Castruccio Castracani da Lucca). Good Captains never come to an engagement unless necessity compels them, or the opportunity calls them. It is better to defeat the enemy by hunger than with steel; in such victory fortune counts more than virtu. To these ends, Machiavelli notes in his preface, the military is like the roof of a palazzo protecting the contents. Machiavelli had served for fourteen years as secretary to the Chancery of Florence and "personally observed and reported back to his government on the size, composition, weaponry, morale, and logistical capabilities of the most effective militaries of his day. His theories were not merely based on a thorough study and analysis of classical and contemporary practices... 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