Girolamo Savonarola - Machiavelli's The Prince

Machiavelli's The Prince

Cited in Chapter VI of Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince (Concerning New Principalities Which Are Acquired By One’s Own Arms And Ability) Fra Girolamo Savonarola was seen by Machiavelli as an incompetent, ill-prepared, and 'unarmed prophet', unlike 'Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, Theseus' (Machiavelli's The Prince)

Of Savonarola, Machiavelli wrote:

"If Moses, Cyrus, Theseus, and Romulus had been unarmed they could not have enforced their constitutions for long — as happened in our time to Fra Girolamo Savonarola, who was ruined with his new order of things immediately the multitude believed in him no longer, and he had no means of keeping steadfast those who believed or of making the unbelievers to believe."

Read more about this topic:  Girolamo Savonarola

Famous quotes containing the words machiavelli and/or prince:

    The wish to acquire more is admittedly a very natural and common thing; and when men succeed in this they are always praised rather than condemned. But when they lack the ability to do so and yet want to acquire more at all costs, they deserve condemnation for their mistakes.
    —Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527)

    If English is spoken in heaven ... God undoubtedly employs Cranmer as his speechwriter. The angels of the lesser ministries probably use the language of the New English Bible and the Alternative Service Book for internal memos.
    Charles, Prince Of Wales (b. 1948)