In 1434, the Medici family gained control of the Republic of Florence. The family started solely as bankers. They gained power by financially supporting Pope John XXIII and continuing to serve as the direct bank of the Pope. The Medici family ruled Florence from 1434-1737 and are remembered for so many incredible Florentine successes. In the same era, Niccolo Machiavelli, an Italian philosopher, wrote a book entitled The Prince. This book set forth the most efficient way to gain and maintain power during the Renaissance. His tactics included ideals such as: the ends justify the means, take calculated risks and rule without ethical thought. Many of the Medici ruling strategies were incredibly similar to those written in Machiavelli’s book; therefore, the actions of the Medici family directly exemplified the advice Machiavelli provided in The Prince.
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The saying implies that one should do whatever is necessary to get to the final result, even if that means doing something immoral or ludacris. The Medici took these words to heart and there are many examples of the family living by this saying. The prime example is the Medici march on Prato. Prior to this encounter, the Medici cousins, Geovani and Julio, were exiled from Florence after a revolt by the people. Geovani and Julio were infuriated and wanted to take action. The Medici cousins and a skilled army marched on Prato and massacred the village. Soon after, they took control of their Republic, Florence, once again. This proves that the ends justifies the means because they did not care what had to be done to gain power once again. They believed that as long as they were in power, whatever actions occurred were
The saying implies that one should do whatever is necessary to get to the final result, even if that means doing something immoral or ludacris. The Medici took these words to heart and there are many examples of the family living by this saying. The prime example is the Medici march on Prato. Prior to this encounter, the Medici cousins, Geovani and Julio, were exiled from Florence after a revolt by the people. Geovani and Julio were infuriated and wanted to take action. The Medici cousins and a skilled army marched on Prato and massacred the village. Soon after, they took control of their Republic, Florence, once again. This proves that the ends justifies the means because they did not care what had to be done to gain power once again. They believed that as long as they were in power, whatever actions occurred were