Niccolò Machiavelli, John of Salisbury, and the Originality of Arte della guerra

Abstract

Niccolo Machiavelli occupies an important place in the canon of military authors. He is often considered the first original Western writer on war since the fall of Rome because his book, Arte della guerra (“Art of War”), synthesizes contemporary military customs with those of antiquity. However, in this essay I challenge the originality of three of that book’s core elements: its use of military exempla, its emphasis on educated generals, and the reciprocal military-state relationship it describes. I argue that it was actually John of Salisbury, the notable twelfth-century English writer, who first formulated these principles in his book Policraticus. This essay explores the dimensions of John’s antecedents and also the intellectual connections between the two books, including the influence of Policraticus in Renaissance Italy and, possibly, upon Machiavelli himself. It concludes by advocating for John of Salisbury’s own place in the canon of original military authors.