The Medici Part 1 Essay
Uploaded by xLoves a xRiSKx on Oct 12, 2006
Medici Part 1 Essay
The Renaissance was a time of art, creativity, and “rebirth” of the society. In addition, some examples of “The Courtier” and “The Prince” create a good image of this time and show examples of skills needed to become more of a leader. Machiavelli, the Godfather of Realpolitik, wrote the first modern manual for leadership, “The Prince”. In this book he describes how a prince should properly act, decide, and rule while laying low to the public. Furthermore, the prince should be tied into religion because it meant power, and he had less of a chance to get excommunicated. A prince ought to show himself a patron of ability, and honor the proficient in every art. At the same time, a prince should know his people, be the leader, and learn to be patient. Finally, a prince should also try and beatify his city to earn public affection. “The Courtier” was written by Baldassare Castiglione which also relates to the Medici and how they appeared in manner and person. Firstly, “The Courtier” explained how to be successful in the Renaissance years; being patronized in the arts, making business in the money, being skillful in weapons and having proper manners. In this book, education was power and marketing was at an equal stage. Being a bank of the church symbolized great wealth in the Medici and building cathedrals resulted in having love of the people. In addition, being a patron was also very important. Consequently, always looking well dressed and learning the study of classics and architecture represented your status at that time. Both of these books indicate involvement on how to spend money and being a politician. These lessons were the most important to be able to have a successful future in the Renaissance. Art changed the way people thought and they began using perspective, and as a result, masterpieces demanded a lot of money. In conclusion, the Medici epitomized the Renaissance movement by following the books of intelligence and experiencing its successful outcomes.