Machiavelli's Hybrid Republicanism

Abstract

This article addresses contrasts between Machiavelli's early and late republican writings. It argues that Machiavelli does not in the Discori straightforwardly champion the ancient Roman republican example. It examines several paradoxes and tensions within the Discorsi to show that even in the midst of his praise of Rome, Machiavelli had doubts about the viability and logical coherency of the Roman model. It contrasts those doubts with Machiavelli's Florentine writings in the 1520s that establish a republican model based on principles, convictions, and arguments not evident in his reflections on Rome. His later writings—a hybrid republicanism—fuse Greek, Roman, and Florentine republican traditions and modify classical ideas to accommodate the more fluid social and political setting of sixteenth-century Florence.