And on these matters I spoke at Nantes with Rouen, when Valentino, as
Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander, was usually called, occupied the Romagna, and on Cardinal Rouen observing to me that the Italians did not understand war, I replied to him that the French did not understand statecraft, meaning that otherwise they would not have allowed the Church to reach such greatness.
Not ask
Cesare Borgia in Florence with the European Renaissance in mind?
He refers to Machiavelli's praise of "cruelty well-used," as by
Cesare Borgia in Romagna, and to Machiavelli's contention in Discourses on Livy 3.1 that what Vickie Sullivan calls "spectacular executions" must occur every five to ten years to reawaken the people's fear of disobeying the law.
In short, he was a charmer, which must have been useful when coping with vicious ruffians like Ludovico Sforza and
Cesare Borgia.
In Chapter 7 of The Prince, "Concerning New Princedoms Acquired by Other Men's Armed Forces and Through Fortune," Machiavelli tells us how
Cesare Borgia's allies, the Orsini, who were one of the most powerful noble families of Rome, launched a conspiracy against him in 1503.
In 1502,
Cesare Borgia, the infamous Italian nobleman, hired him as an architect and military engineer.
The uncertainty of French and Italian alliances, the duplicity for which
Cesare Borgia was known, and Francesco's shifting military commissions during these years put the marchesi in a precarious position.
Just as important to the formation of Machiavelli's outlook was his esperientia --Celenza emphasizes in particular the time he spent alongside
Cesare Borgia as well as his role in organizing a militia for Florence while serving the Soderini regime.
The Roman Catholic Pontiff was reported to have watched completely naked women dance with the guests at a party held in the Papal Palace of
Cesare Borgia on Oct.
It was an infamous party held in the Papal Palace by debauched Cardinal
Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI on October 30, 1501.
A particular problem, that receives new light here, was
Cesare Borgia, the illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI, who Machiavelli admired in The Prince.
Cesare Borgia - Italian cardinal and military leader; model for Machiavelli's prince (1475-1507)