Francesco Guicciardini - Diplomatic Career at The Spanish Court

Diplomatic Career At The Spanish Court

Having distinguished himself in the practice of law, in 1512 Guicciardini was entrusted by the Florentine Signoria with an embassy to the court of the King of Aragon, Ferdinand the Catholic. He had doubts about accepting the position because it came with so little profit, would disrupt his law practice, and take him away from the city. However, Francesco's father convinced him of the court’s prestige and honor of having been chosen at so young an age. "No one could remember at Florence that such a young man had ever been chosen for such an embassy," he wrote in his diary. Thus Guicciardini started his career as a diplomat and statesman.

His Spanish correspondence with the Signoria reveals Guicciardini's power of observation and analysis which was a chief quality of his mind. At the Spanish court, he learned lessons of political realism. In his letters back home, he expressed appreciation for being able to observe Spanish military methods and estimate their strength during the time of war. However, he also distrusted the calculated gestures of Ferdinand, referring to him as a model of the art of political deceit. During his time in Spain, the Medici regained power in Florence. Under the new regime, his embassy in Spain dragged on, frustrating Guicciardini as he yearned to return to Florence and participate in political life. Guicciardini insisted on being recalled and even sent a letter to the youthful Lorenzo de’ Medici in an attempt to secure a position in the new ruling group. Guicciardini eventually returned home to Florence, where he took up his law practice again; in 1514 he served as a member of the Otto di Balìa, who controlled internal security, and in 1515 served on the Signoria, the highest Florentine magistracy.