Machiavelli
I agree with the claim that Machiavelli develops a consistent concept of virtù in ‘The Prince’. Virtu can be described as the ability of a leader to do whatever it takes for him or her to achieve success. Some leaders are described in chapter 5 successful princes who rose up on their own. Cyrus, Theseus and Romulus are described as independent leaders who despite facing many challenges rose up to be successful princes (Machiavelli et al, 114). Machiavelli rather says that fortune too played an important part in ensuring the leaders remained successful throughout their governance. For instance Romulus became the king of Rome since he was abandoned in Alba and remained there and eventually became king. The people of Persia did not love the leadership of Medes thus people preferred Cyrus as their new king. Athenians were dispersed thus Theseus had to use skills in ensuring the people got the right leadership. Therefore it is clear to say that virtu is utilized where opportunity arises and once the opportunity is not utilized virtu is therefore wasted. Thus virtu comes hand in hand with opportunity and one should therefore utilize it before it becomes wasted and end up being useless. It is clear that the leaders successful used virtu to ensure they became successful and acceptable to the people they ruled.
Machiavelli further shows that private citizens too became princes either through help from others, fortune and by luck (Strauss, 134). Such leaders get leadership easily but they are not able to maintain their positions for long. Cesare Borgia is an example of such a leader since he gained leadership because of his father’s influence since he was a powerful man in the society. Borgia successful gained foreign lands through use of force and ensured his military was loyal to him at all times and maintained good but cautious relationships with other states. He was a courageous leader and virtu enabled him to govern his people successful though it did not prevent him from his ill-fated end (Machiavelli et al, 114). His father suffered a sudden death while he suffered from a serious illness such that he could not lead his people again. Machiavelli shows that cruel leaders cannot remain successful forever. Borgia is an example of a cruel and deceitful leader who remained successful only for a short period of time. This shows that virtu does not prevent cruel and deceitful leaders from suffering just like they made people suffer.
Machiavelli showed in ‘Discourse on Livy’ that virtu is important since it guides people in either following the right or wrong decisions. He believed that Roman republicans were governed by good virtues unlike the Italians who were disunited and ruined (Machiavelli, 76). Virtu in this book is used to show that people can make good decisions regardless of the freedom given to them and that people who follow the law end up becoming successful. Religion as seen in this book was the law followed by the Romans unlike the Italians who did not follow any religion. Christianity guided the Roman people and thus they followed the Christian laws and became united unlike the Italians who did not follow laws and ended up getting ruined.
Cabeza was born in the south of Spain and is the described as the first European to discover Texas. He was a geographer, doctor, merchant and historian and became the first European to discover Texas and its culture. He stayed in Texas for seven years where he learnt a lot about Texas and its terrain. He became king of Spain in 1540 but was accused on wrong leadership where he was deported to North Africa but later called to Spain after it was discovered he was innocent (Covey et al, 141). Machiavelli could judge Cabeza’s actions to be praiseworthy since he did everything possible for him to govern his people just like the leaders Machiavelli outlines in his book. Cebaza was orphaned at an early age where he joined the Spanish army and thoroughly fought during 1512 in Italy during the battle of Ravenna. He became the first lieutenant since he was appointed in the civil war that happened in Spain. In 1527 he departed with five ships where he made a contract with the Roman Emperor Charles where he was allowed to colonize region between Florida and today’s Rio Soto La Marina in Mexico (Covey et al, 141). He later landed in 1528 in the coast of Florida where he made an unwise decision to drop with over to hundred men and many horses so that he could conquer the northern part of Florida. He misunderstood the geography thus ended up separating with the other troops and as a result they suffered from food shortages causing death to some of his men and ended up remaining about 250 men. The Spaniards became very desperate since they were at a destination they never targeted to be as they were mislead by their leader Cabeza and thus they wanted to find their way back to Spain. The ships they had travelled in were faulty thus they decided to make boats, which was their only source of hope.
Food shortage became a serious problem and they decided to feed on the horses they came with. Most of the men suffered illnesses and succumbed to the illnesses. By 1529 most of the men had died and the only remaining were 13 Spaniards and one slave from Africa as well as Cabeza (Covey et al, 142). Cabeza finally remained with only two Spaniards since the rest were attacked and killed by the Indians. They too survived since they were captured as slaves. Cabeza became the new doctor where he exchanged his skills of treating the sick Indians and in return he was given food. Machiavelli in his judgment would praise the actions of Cabeza since he was brave and courageous regardless of the fact that he caused deaths of over 250 men whom he mislead and they ended up in the wrong place. Of the 300 men that started the journey only four men survived the ordeal because other men succumbed to starvation, illnesses while others were killed by the Indians. Cabeza became the first ethnologist where he did everything possible to ensure him and his remaining three men would land back in Spain peacefully (Covey et al, 142). Cabeza was not only a medical doctor but a surgeon as well since he was able to operate one Indian trader who had been struck almost near the heart by an arrow. In 1540 Cabeza became the governor of Spain after him and the survivors arrived safely in Mexico and were given a deserving welcome since they were the heroes.
Back in Texas Cabeza fought for the rights of the Indians even though they had mistreated them and ended up starving them. In Paraguay he advocated for polices that benefited the Indians where he was removed forcefully from the office on grounds that he exploited the natives and was sent back to Spain on charges that he had mistreated the natives (Covey et al, 152). Cabeza was found guilty in Spain since he had over thirty transgression charges thus ended up getting burnished from possessing any Spanish possessions. He was given five years imprisonment but further appealed in North Africa where his punishment was rather commuted. 1559 is the year known when Cabeza died while in Spain where he was free from all the thirty two charges (Covey et al, 154). Cabeza is known to defend the Indians since the time he became a merchant in Texas. Machiavelli in his book identifies good leaders as those ones who do everything possible to ensure they remain in power. Deceitful and cruel leaders are also good leaders but they do not last in power for a long time. Thus Machiavelli would have praised the actions of Cabeza since regardless of making several mistakes throughout his leadership he had positive attributes such as being a merchant, doctor, surgeon, historians and fighting for the rights of the minorities making many Texans remain indebted to this man.
Machiavelli’s pragmatic political practices are way similar to Luther’s actions of spiritual self discipline. Machiavelli believes in respect for all people and respect for people’s freedoms and rights. In the same way Luther believes that respect is one act of ensuring that one possess self discipline. Luther believes that someone who is spiritually disciplines makes good decisions thus overcoming all the earthly freedoms and utilizing freedom in the best way possible (Krey et al, 112). Luther believes we need to follow the laws since spiritually disciplined people are followed by the Grace. Thus just like Machiavelli shows that people who do not follow the law pay the consequences, Luther encourages people to follow the laws since it is the right thing to do and people must be governed by the laws. People have the freedom to do what is good and thus people should follow the right choices failure to which the law catches up with them and eventually such people face judgments. Spiritual freedom demands the love for people to follow the law and demands of the law and live as the law obligates them to live (Krey et al, 112). Machiavelli just like Luther argues out that following the law prevents people from getting into problems.
The law is there to stay and thus people need to do as the law obligates since doing the contrary cuts shot peoples’ freedoms since they are judged by the same law they failed to obligate to. People have the freedom to do whatever pleases them in case it is acceptable and in line with the various spiritual or societal laws. Faith supports the law thus people follow the law in faith and thus people should perform deeds which are right and in accordance with the law (Krey et al, 112). Machiavelli gives examples of leaders who failed to follow the law and ended up leading for short periods of time. If the leaders had made good political choices in accordance with the law, they would have succeeded and ruled for many years. Thus people should follow examples of leaders and people who have made right choices of following the law and have ended up succeeding since following the law is an obligation everyone needs to meet.
Work cited
Krey, Philip D. W, Peter D. S. Krey, and Timothy J. Wengert. Luther's Spirituality. New York: Paulist Press, 2007. Print.
Machiavelli, Niccol . Discourses on Livy. Dover Publications, 2012. Internet resource.
Machiavelli, Niccolò, and Rufus Goodwin. The Prince. Boston: Dante University Press, 2003. Print.
Strauss, Leo. Thoughts on Machiavelli. Chicago [u.a.: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2003. Print.
Covey, Cyclone, and Cabeza V. A. Núñez. The Journey and Ordeal of Cabeza De Vaca: His Account of the Disastrous First European Exploration of the American Southwest. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2004. Print.
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