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The Artist the Philosopher and the Warrior The Intersecting Lives of Da Vinci Machiavelli and Borgia and the World They Shaped Paul Strathern Books

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The Artist the Philosopher and the Warrior The Intersecting Lives of Da Vinci Machiavelli and Borgia and the World They Shaped Paul Strathern Books

Everyone is familiar with the genius of Leonardo da Vinci; most have a passing familiarity of Niccolo Machiavelli, less perhaps with Cesare Borgia - but a very few, I would warrant, know that the paths of these three important figures were, for a few tumultous months in the early 16th century, closely intertwined. Strathern details not only the political intrigue that led these giants of their time to work together, but also holds them up as examples of the "new man" that marked the beginning of the Renaissance.

In the early 1500s, Italy was broken into several competing principalities and was preyed upon by its larger and more powerful neighbors, particularly France. Cesare Borgia (and his father, Pope Alexander VI) sought to create a power base for their family in the Romagna, and perhaps to make the Papacy an inherited (rather than an elected) position to be held by their family. Machiavelli and the Florence he represented had other designs: maintain the Florentine republic and protect it from the twin threats of the Pope and the French. Between these erstwhile political rivals (and sometimes collaborators) is Da Vinci, whose patronage in Florence was perhaps the result of Machiavelli's influence, and whose mechanical and engineering skills were much sought after by Borgia. The history of these three minds, their influence on events and the rapidly changing intellectual and political climate in Italy makes for fascinating reading.

Beyond the interpersonal drama of these men, however, is their role as metaphor for broader changes taking place in Europe: nation states were emerging (hence the power and threat of France and the designs of Alexander VI), and the way in which people understood politics was also being reexamined. In fact, Strathern argues that much of _The Prince_ is influenced by Machiavelli's interactions with and observations of Cesare Borgia as he manipulated, bluffed and fought his way to power.

It is history that reads like fiction. Thoroughy researched and skillfully written, it is a fascinating examination of a crucial point in European - and world - history. Highly recommended.


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The Artist the Philosopher and the Warrior The Intersecting Lives of Da Vinci Machiavelli and Borgia and the World They Shaped Paul Strathern Books Reviews

This book is well written and very interesting. There are so many characters and stories whirling around Italy at this time in history that it’s hard to keep track. The Borgias lived in a gangland world. I think Martin Scorsese should consider making a movie about them. Leonardo is a bit of a disappointment. He had trouble completing anything. I think that he falls short when compared to Michelangelo. In the book I sense that real hero to the author was Machiavelli. The author highlights many people who were influenced by the Prince. But Borgia didn’t invent ruthlessness and leaders would be ruthless with or without The Prince. Last comment. I think author should have included a prologue that gave an overview of Europe and the world during this period.
The book is well written, covering a critical period at the beginning of the Renaissance. The 16th Century (including the late 15th) may be the most amazing period of time in western civilization. Read this to see how three remarkable men interacted to drive history in three uniquely different by but complementary ways. DiVinci, the restless genius and first renaissance man, Machiavelli, a burgeoning statesman who created the first scientific analysis of politics, and Cesare Borgia, the son of a pope, and the leading military figure of this volatile and fascinating age of change.
This is an excellent book with real insight into the relationship between Di Vinci; Machiavelli; and Borgia. Most, including me, did not know that they even knew each other.
Paul Strathern provides a highly readable, entertaining, and page turning account as he tries to interlace into a single coherent narrative the ideas of consequence and the consequence of ideas. Ideas are the incubators of history. It is the collision of ideas with individual actors that creates both the continuity and the ruptures in the unfolding of history. The author traces the primary actors, the new ideas and antecedent causals in this unique tripartite biography and historical narrative. The author points to that ‘something that was in the air’ of what we call the Renaissance. Some readers may find that there is some repetition when the same events are told and retold from the viewpoints of the three protagonists but if read correctly, there is no repetition just a chance to view the same historical events for three different perspectives. This helps the reader to realize that never is there a single correct story to tell when it comes to the process, events and unfolding of history as well as the recording of historical events.

In assembling this tripartite biographical story about this key period known to us as the Renaissance, the author speculates as to the many possible, might have been, may well have been, had to have been, need to have been, would certainly have to be, may even have, must have taken place meetings and conversations between Da Vinci, Machiavelli and Borgia. Much of the nexus between the Renaissance Big-Three was tangential and fleeting as they crisscrossed the realms of time, place, events and ideas, still, at other times the connections were deep and shaped the very contours of this enigmatic period with all its high culture and low barbarism. The author embarks upon a tripartite inferential journey that necessarily strays further from the known and knowable facts the further he proceeds. But how much of a problem is it to stray from these so called known facts? To what extent should one or a few out of place facts bother the reader?

These things we are content to call the facts are rather opaque and quite peculiar when examined closely. History is not easily reducible to this ‘atomic structure’ of nothing but facts and the void. Some readers seem to believe the facts are simple things that must correspond with observations from experience, that is, what is only contingently the case. That is, an appeal to the concept of facts is an appeal to the concept of truth, which is often contingent and not necessary as well as to objectivity which does not exist. Facts and values are symbolic representations contextual to awareness. Objectively is a faith-based fantasy - to see it otherwise is to exhibit an evasive sense of awareness and over attachment to structure and order . All facts are relative and dependent on subjectivity. A fact can only be a fact relative to a context and every context has its subjective boundaries. There are no objective facts. In fact, 'objective' does not exist. All knowledge is contextual and a fact cannot be featured without context. Facts are subjective because they are only perceived as such by a subjective awareness. David Hume famously stated there are relations of ideas and matters of fact. Granted, this is a bit of an oversimplification, but it serves to illustrate what is going on in this book. The ideas are the context for the facts. Paul Strathern’s seeks to guide the reader beyond the mere matters fact to the relations of people and ideas. No doubt, when it comes to writing history, matters of fact and correspondence are part of the inventory of the things we expect to find, but too often forgotten, so are highly nuisanced relations among subtle ideas from which springs ideology. The author seeks to weave together the complex, opaque, obscure and at times obfuscated relationship between three overlapping giants that in large measure drove the Renaissance as we have come to understand it. That which we call the Renaissance was much more than series of events and facts, it was the coming together and admixture of ideas classical, barbaric, medieval, artistic and scientific in the convulsion that gave birth to what we are very pleased to call modernity. This often, perhaps too often, requires inference from the known ostensible matters of fact to gain insight into the more arcane relationship of ideas driving the observable facts of experience. Though I do not agree with every inference the author makes about driving forces, inner thoughts and causal antecedents, in most cases, I fund them to be reasonable and plausible based on the known matters of fact.

Oh yes, the mosquito

As if human existence was not contingent and capricious enough, imagine this, a mosquito quite probably changed the course of human history. So much for free will, or will the free will fanatics now insist upon the free will of the mosquito? Perhaps we should just give it up and chalk this one up to those deterministic casual antecedents, the engine that propels history forward with us conscious humans only along for the ride as observes. Otherwise, we must hold the mosquito accountable for its act of free will. Free will is just the stuff of appearances that we impose upon events; a reactionary response based on abstractions from apparent events and the subjective assertions of feelings about observed appearances. We are too easily fooled into thinking we are driving events because we are aware of events. We are too willing to mistake awareness for agency and experience for control; awareness of ourselves in a world which pushes us down and drives us on. Awareness is always after the event but is mistaken for agency prior to the event. Thoughts, feelings, and the will are reactive are responsive, not causal. In any case, Paul Strathern relates for us the vineyard diner party held on the hillside of Monte Mario on August 5, 1503 hosted by Cardinal Adriano Castellesi for Alexander VI and Cesar Borgia. Though poison is a plausible explanation, it is much more likely that all three were bitten by malaria infected mosquitos. At this time, the Borgias were on their way to christening a new era in Italy, on their way to bringing Italy under a single government, consolidating local political authority and converting the papacy into a secular authority as well as making it a Borgia heredity office. Basically, they were on the verge of creating the Italian state. It is of course counterfactual speculation (not meant to imply the agency of free will) but still, how much different would have western European history turned out if presented with a unified, progressive and powerful Italian state at the beginning of the 16th century rather than the vacillating irresolute state at the end of the 19th century?
In short, an enjoyable read. Some facts may warrant further research, but 'speaking' generally, very worthy of the price of a nicely-preserved used book. Nice general introduction to 3 of the most significant historical figures of the Italian Renaissance.
Everyone is familiar with the genius of Leonardo da Vinci; most have a passing familiarity of Niccolo Machiavelli, less perhaps with Cesare Borgia - but a very few, I would warrant, know that the paths of these three important figures were, for a few tumultous months in the early 16th century, closely intertwined. Strathern details not only the political intrigue that led these giants of their time to work together, but also holds them up as examples of the "new man" that marked the beginning of the Renaissance.

In the early 1500s, Italy was broken into several competing principalities and was preyed upon by its larger and more powerful neighbors, particularly France. Cesare Borgia (and his father, Pope Alexander VI) sought to create a power base for their family in the Romagna, and perhaps to make the Papacy an inherited (rather than an elected) position to be held by their family. Machiavelli and the Florence he represented had other designs maintain the Florentine republic and protect it from the twin threats of the Pope and the French. Between these erstwhile political rivals (and sometimes collaborators) is Da Vinci, whose patronage in Florence was perhaps the result of Machiavelli's influence, and whose mechanical and engineering skills were much sought after by Borgia. The history of these three minds, their influence on events and the rapidly changing intellectual and political climate in Italy makes for fascinating reading.

Beyond the interpersonal drama of these men, however, is their role as metaphor for broader changes taking place in Europe nation states were emerging (hence the power and threat of France and the designs of Alexander VI), and the way in which people understood politics was also being reexamined. In fact, Strathern argues that much of _The Prince_ is influenced by Machiavelli's interactions with and observations of Cesare Borgia as he manipulated, bluffed and fought his way to power.

It is history that reads like fiction. Thoroughy researched and skillfully written, it is a fascinating examination of a crucial point in European - and world - history. Highly recommended.