How a Ruler Ought to Govern His State Essay

Louis XIV, Peter the Great, and Tokugawa Ieyasu all considered their own power and strengthened their states in many different ways but their actions were all similar. They united their states, introduced reforms and assessed their power and the effect that they could have on others. Although their techniques were different, the ways these monarchs ruled their states show great similarities.

The view of the nature of man had changed significantly, in the Renaissance, since the time of the Middle Ages. Each man was now unique and completely different from his neighbor. Every man’s personality and personas were special to the individual. Men were composed of different amounts and types of talents. Some were great at science, some art, or others engineering. Man’s view on how they wanted to live their lives was also completely opposite then their fellow man. Overall, the nature of man became that of being their own human being and not be exactly the same as the person next

From art brought on by the Medici family, to literature produced by some of the most well-known and renowned authors, concepts of humanism emerged. This then resulted in a more positive outlook on life during the Italian Renaissance. Moreover, Francesco Petrarch, the “Father of Humanism,” paved the way for successful eras in Florence, the epicenter of the Renaissance. The conditions of Rome as described by both Baldassare Castiglione and Dante Alighieri crucially inspired the artistic and literary Renaissance of Italy. Reviving Rome lead to a faith in humans, allowing revolutions to build off of the past, as opposed to starting from the beginning. Obviously key factors as demonstrated by the infamous writers Baldassare Castiglione and Dante Alighieri forever and crucially impacted western

“Man has no greater enemy than himself” according to Petrarch, a poet who lived from 1304-1374, and the inventor of the sonnet. The Renaissance was a time period from 14th to the 17th century, and was the bridge from the Middle Ages to modern history. An Italian scholar, poet, and the father of humanism, Petrarch helped develop a style of poetry known as the sonnet. In addition, Petrarch was relevant to the Renaissance because he inspired Shakespeare and other Renaissance poets as well as modern philosophy and thought.

The 1400’s was a time of the Renaissance, which was a change or rebirth in the Italian culture of art, politics and philosophy. Petrarch created a universal concept that changed the way people thought which was called humanism. Humanism is when people start to focus on the values and interests of humans. This idea started to spread with the help of the printing press which was a machine that made printing literature easier. Writers and artists were able to spread their ideas of humanism across Europe during the Renaissance through this machine. Artists like Raphael showed humanism with his painting of “The School of Athens”, Michelangelo’s sculpture of “David” and Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man”.

Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, and military engineer which is the perfect example of a “Renaissance man.” With a curious mind, da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work. His ideas and body of work have influenced countless artists and made da Vinci a great influence of the Italian Renaissance.

According to Van Doren “the term Renaissance man suggests a person, either a man or a woman, of many accomplishments. He or she knows more than just a little about ‘everything’, instead of knowing everything about a small part of the entire spectrum of modern knowledge” (1991). In light of this definition, it can be notably argued that no human being can really be a true Renaissance man as it is humanly impossible for anyone to obtain all or even a large part of knowledge because of the fact that it is so vast and complex in nature. However, many individuals have made and continue to make great strides in the quest for becoming universally educated and knowledgeable.

A leader’s inspiration contributes to the development of the laws enforced, which leads to a stable society. In Plutarch’s ‘Life of Lycurgus,’ Lycurgus gains inspiration from his travels to Crete, Asia, and Egypt. In Crete, he meets a lyric poet named Thales. Songs by Thales encouraged “obedience and concord, and the very measure and cadence of the verse, conveying impressions of

In medieval thought, everything revolved around god and the church, where personal motives had no purpose if they had no relationship with any divine being. Petrarch's personal experience had no purpose in glorifying or seeking God, but rather in discovering truth and happiness on his own. This new way of thinking was considered part of the Renaissance because Petrarch uses reason as a source of knowledge, and seeks the truth through personal reflection and research. On the other hand, Giovanni had to analyze and question a concept different from Petrarch.

The administration of Roman ruled provinces was unusual. They let the provinces continue using their own local forms of law, with the exception of Lex Provinciae. However each province was sent an elected official that had run to become governor. These Roman governors had some amount of power once they set foot onto their new province. Some Roman governors tried really hard to be upstanding but faced many problems such as language and culture barriers. A specific one would be the eastern customs of giving and receiving gifts which could be considered a bribe. Governors could either take the gift and be accused of bribery or risk offending the local population. Many unscrupulous governors took the opportunity and accepted these gifts. However I understand why some would act this way, since they are trying to pay off their campaign debts as well as trying not to offend anyone.

Francesco Petrarca was born on July 20th, 1304 in Arezzo, Italy, to Ser and Eletta Petracco, and died July 19th, 1374. Not only is Petrarch referred to as the “Father of Humanism, but also as the “Father of the Renaissance”. To be the greatest humanitarian holds much meaning, but most of all it means to create needed change in the most dire of situations when others will not. Without a doubt, Petrarch was the greatest humanitarian of all European history, because he had struggled to become the person he was, he is considered to be the first humanitarian, and he not only influenced many other greats but he also influenced the beginning of the Renaissance, although some can argue that he was not the greatest humanitarian, because he is more

Humanism also placed the importance on an individual’s leadership, responsibilities, and their participation in the government. Petrarch is known as the ‘Father of Renaissance Humanism’. That means that he helped shape the doctrine of humanism, and came up with his own view on Humanism and life that affected people and the way they thought about

Imagine Italy from the 14th to the 17th century. This time period is known as the Renaissance. In the time of the Renaissance there were many great minds, but one in particular stood out from the rest. This man was a writer, a mathematician, an inventor, and a world renowned artist. This man was Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo da Vinci, by definition, is the quintessential Renaissance man.

The first substantial movement in the Renaissance was the humanist movement led by Francesco Petrarch that began in the early 1400’s. Throughout the Middle Ages little was taught and that of which was taught emphasized

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, The archetype man for politics in history. He was born on May 1469 and died June 1527. He is an Italian philosopher, thinker and writer. He was considered by many as one of the origin founders of political science in modern age. He was a diplomatic person, besides being a political philosopher, and musician. In Florentine Republic he used to be a civil servant. Then In 1498, he was elected as Secretary to the second Chancery of the Republic of Florence by the Great council. When I hear Renaissance, directly Leonardo Da Vinci comes up to my mind, as well as Machiavelli. He is known as an Icon of the Renaissance Man. He is most known for a political booklet The Prince; it is written on 1513, but not