Poli 212 History of Western Political Philosophy Professor Sammy Basu

Introduction to Machiavelli and The Prince and the Discourses

Machiavelli and Caterina

Machiavelli

Death assailing a young man c. 1443 giovanni de paolo

Cesena

Crivelli’s Madonna

Metsys’ grotesque woman

Caterina Sforza

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caterina_Sforza

Experimenti, (1490-1500) a foundational text in the history of pharmacology

“Leonessa di Romagna”

A virago

Caterina as Mona Lisa?

http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Mona_Lisa

Botticelli, Primavera (c.1482)

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Other depictions

The episode:

The Rocca

“In Forlì conspirators killed Count Girolamo their ruler and captured his wife and small children. These conspirators knew they were not secure if they were not masters of the fortress, but the castellan was unwilling to surrender it. Then Madonna Caterina (for so the Countess was called) promised that if the conspirators would let her enter the fortress, she would have it surrendered to them; they might keep her children as hostages. With that promise, they let her enter. As soon as she was inside, she reproached them from the wall with the death of her husband, threatening them with every kind of revenge. And to show that she did not care about her children, she uncovered to them her genital members [le membra genitali], saying she still had means for producing more children” (Discourses 3.6, CWO: 444).

“Ammazzarono alcuni congiurati Forlivesi il conte Girolamo loro signore, presono la moglie, ed i suoi figliuoli, che erano piccoli; e non parendo loro potere vivere sicuri se non si insignorivano della fortezza, e non volendo il castellano darla loro, Madonna Caterina (che così si chiamava la contessa) promisse ai congiurati, che, se la lasciavano entrare in quella, di farla consegnare loro, e che ritenessono a presso di loro i suoi figliuoli per istatichi. Costoro, sotto questa fede, ve la lasciarono entrare; la quale, come fu dentro, dalle mura rimproverò loro la morte del marito, e minacciogli d'ogni qualità di vendetta. E per mostrare che de' suoi figliuoli non si curava, mostrò loro le membra genitali, dicendo che aveva ancora il modo a rifarne. Così costoro, scarsi di consiglio e tardi avvedutisi del loro errore, con uno perpetuo esilio patirono pena della poca prudenza loro.”

Duplicating the seeming indifference of the Countess, Machiavelli does not report on the fate of the children. He simply affirms his claim that conspirators should ensure that no avengers are left alive by concluding: “so, unprovided with a plan and realizing too late their mistake, with lifelong exile they [the conspirators] paid the penalty for their imprudence,” and then continues to the next in a series of considerations on conspiracies.

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