佛罗伦萨史 (1532)

佛罗伦萨史，意大利史学家马基雅维利所著，是一部描述佛罗伦萨的方志，记叙了自罗马时代直至1492年洛伦佐·德·美第奇逝世为止佛罗伦萨城的历史。全书分分为八卷，每卷又分为若干章。其中第一卷记录了从罗马末年至十五世纪意大利的历史。

1512年，美第奇家族复辟，马基雅维利被排挤出政治圈。1520年，马基雅维利被美第奇家族任命为史官，负责佛罗伦萨历史的编撰。1525年，马基雅维利完成了《佛罗伦萨史》，献给当时的教皇克勉七世。现有李活和王永忠翻译的中文版。

Florentine Histories (Italian: Istorie Fiorentine) is an account of the history of the city of Florence by Italian Renaissance political philosopher and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, first published posthumously in 1532.

Background

In 1520, Machiavelli managed to get back into the good graces of the Medici family, so much so that Giulio Cardinal de Medici commissioned him to write a history of Florence. He was introduced to Giulio de Medici by way of his friends in the Orti Oricellari, and was well received by him. At this point, Machiavelli had two other job offers, one as chancellor of Ragusa (Dubrovnik) and another as chancellor to the condottiere Prospero Colonna, the latter offering a salary four times higher than his history commission. Despite the financial incentive and the urging of his former boss, Piero Soderini, Machiavelli declined both offers. He chose instead to write the Florentine Histories, aligning himself with esteemed humanist predecessors like Bruni and Poggio. The commission also hinted at potential future diplomatic work, which may have influenced his decision, as it offered a path back to political engagement similar to his earlier career.

The finished work was presented officially to Giulio de' Medici, now Pope Clement VII, in May 1526. The Pope liked the work, rewarded him, and asked him for support in the creation of a national army, in the preparations for the War of the League of Cognac. However, after the Sack of Rome (1527) and the fall of the Medici government in Florence, Machiavelli eventually hoped to gain favor with the new government. Machiavelli would die soon afterwards.

Composition

The first of the eight books is a general picture of the history of Europe from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the beginning of the 15th century; the second book begins to discuss the history of Florence, with the narration of the Ciompi revolt in 1378. The books II, III, and IV narrate the history before the Medici rise, while the last four speak of the fight for power that ended with the Medicean lordship. The eighth book closes with the death of Lorenzo il Magnifico, in 1492, with the end of the peace that Lorenzo's politics of balance had carried.