Part 7? There is no 7.
Disclaimer: Seriously there is no part 7. I've tried searching for it. If one really wants the author's response about some part of this, send him an email.
Machiavelli in Morea is an attempt to write a
politico-philosophical what-if. It has been
one of the goals of which I have been writing
towards in my Morean timeline. You might say
that MiM is a signpost on my Morean gedanken
experiment. If it fails, it fails because of
me and only me. I have my limitations. If it
pisses you off, that's your problem. Nyah!
This isn't strictly about ole Mach. It is about
him and his /impact/. There are ripples when a
person of thought expresses them out of the same
context. There are large differences in what
thoughts get expressed when they have a different
lineage.
***
Exiled
***
Greeting his family on the docks, he was shaken.
He had received word that they were coming. He
was shocked and dismayed at what had happened.
As he embraced his wife, she muttered one sentence.
That sentence rocked him to his core. It would
forever change his life course and render things
strange. Another man might have despaired and
collapsed under the weight of what had happened,
not Niccolo. Certainly not Niccolo. He was adept
at finding his way through the caltrop-covered
fields of life and here would be no exception.
He didn't see how, not now, but he'd find a way.
That world-shaping sentence? Augusto Borgia had
declared that all the families of the Republic of
Florence that had opposed him were banished from
the Kingdom of Italy under penalty of death if
they returned. As the ambassador to the Romans
in Morea, especially since he had been there
pleading for help to gain support for the
rebellion of Florence, Niccolo's life was forfeit
if he returned. The only reason his family wasn't
dead was the combined quick thinking of his wife
and father.
From the docks, he ushered his wife, child, and
father into a carriage. From the docks they
sped to his temporary accommodations in Patrai
and an uncertain and daunting future.
It was the year 1507.
***
Machiavelli had originally come to Morea in
the late 1490s as an ambassador for the Republic
of Florence. The reason being that the Moreans
had made their mark on the Italian Peninsula by
attempting to take the Kingdom of Naples. It had
been a trap set by the then Pope to try to undo the
Paleologues because that Pope had developed a very
deep and person hatred of them. Machiavelli had left
Morea and been sent to the Switzerland and France in
turn after Florence fell to Augusto Borgia.
In OTL, he had been to the Holy Roman Empire, ATL
the HRE is getting thrashed. The Hungarians have
sacked Vienna. The Poles are chewing on the eastern
border. The French have carved off northwest. The
Emperor is in no position to intervene in Italy.
The Swiss are.
Swiss officers once remarked that if they wanted
it, they could take the whole of Italy at any time.
Their disdain for the Italian mode of warfare was
so great and powerful that they felt almost pure
contempt for many Italian officers. This went to
the point of more than one battle was lost when
the Swiss mercenaries would simply ignore their
employers' generals.
While the Morean mode of warfare is spreading in
Italy, the Swiss have contacts with the Moreans.
They have had more than a few interchanges of
ideas and technique giving them an edge on the
other adopters. The primary problem has been
that the Swiss simply are too insulated a people
at this point. Their xenophobia makes them
unlikely conquerors. Defend their cantons and
well, but add more? Their culture was against
it.
Machiavelli's mission to the Swiss would and
did end in nothing more than frustration. They
simply were not, despite vast amounts of
boastfulness, really interested in fighting
their way down to Florence. Italians? Who
wants them? Besides, at this point, this
means a war with the French. Lord knows the
Swiss don't want to pick two fights at the same
time [FN1]. Machiavelli's frustration would
take time to come to its logical end. He would
fight, and hard, across the negotiating table
to try to entice a general march on Florence.
It took some time before he gave up: over a
year.
During the time frame that Niccolo was
negotiating with the Cantons, he would take
many tours around and across Switzerland. It
was interesting and a welcome break from the
arguments with stone – as he would later call
it. He grew to be very impressed with the
Swiss and their way of life. He took many
notes and began to wonder if not the Swiss had
a point. Might Italy have become so corrupt
as to not be worth saving? After all, look at
the good and wholesome Swiss before him… It
was a seed of a thought as he continued to read,
as was his hobby, Livy's works.
One family made a very great impression on
Niccolo. He would visit their family farm,
just short of an estate by Italian standards,
many times. His discussions with Hans Schio
would be long and fascinating. Their topics
would range across many things, but for the
most part, Hans had a very down to earth and
practical point of view. Niccolo would often
bring up parallels between the Swiss and ancient
peoples. Hans would simply point out why the
Swiss did things the way they did without
attempting to embellish it more than necessary:
the Swiss were Swiss, not Greeks, not Republican
Romans, not… Niccolo would have none of it though
and sometimes would get overly excited in his
observations, enough so that when too much wine or
beer had been consumed, voices would get raised and
even spittle would fly. Nothing terrible would
come of it, often because the next morning Niccolo
would, after his raging headache had cleared enough
that he could think straight, would apologize to
Hans. Hans would grunt and shake his head.
Things would calm again for a time, until the
reached a fevered pitch in their arguing yet again
and the cycle would repeat again and again over
the nine months that Niccolo lived in Switzerland.
They would remain in touch, however, for a great
deal longer.
As Machiavelli left Switzerland, departing for
France, he began writing a book. It would not be
long, by our standards of the modern day, but it
was an interesting treatise. Entitled On the
Character of the Swiss People, the first
hand-written copy was sent back to his friend. The
introduction would actually be a letter to his
friend and sounding board, as would be Machiavelli's
modus operandi for his works, but the rest was not
quite so personable. The first portion of the book
would be a set of observations of the Swiss and their
way of life from the author's point of view: the
delights, shocks, and annoyances that he would
encounter in the Confederation. The middle third
of the book would be actually a heated discussion
between a thinly disguised Niccolo and Hans. The
last portion of the book was a critique of the
people: good, bad and ugly from the point of view
of the author. Some was harsh. Some was insightful.
Some was just plain wrong and tainted by
Machiavelli's worldview.
Hans was in turns bemused, delighted, and annoyed
by the book. A written rebuttal would be scribed
over the years and finally sent to Niccolo in a
collected form. This rebuttal book would take some
time to find its way to Niccolo since he'd moved
around a bit with the politics and Hans' efforts
would take longer since he himself was not as
articulate as Machiavelli. Writing was hard
work and he wanted to be sure he got across what
he meant. It wasn't so much a political treatise
with ties back to Rome and Greece as Niccolo's
work would be, but rather what many people would
see as a start of a more modern anthropological
view: it really was an study of a people from
within the people. It was not unflawed, but it
was interesting and insightful.
It would certainly influence Machiavelli's
later works.
***
A Frank Discussion
***
Over Morea's great pride and joy, her wide
cobblestone highways, Machiavelli's carriages
made their way southwest into the interior, to
Mistra. It was where he kept his home here.
Home? Not really. It would never be the family
estates outside Florence. Not now, not ever.
Not while that stinking pig of a Borgia sat on
the Italian throne. He despaired.
Yet flickering in that wallowing silent self-pity,
he couldn't help but admire young Augusto. How
could he not? How many young princes had the
insight to realize that being magnanimous would
simply come to bite them in the arse one day?
Based on the histories of the city-states of
Italy, not many. Too many had respected the
rights of the families there, only to
successfully conspire against the new prince
to pull him down. Hadn't that been what
Machiavelli had been helping to plan anyways?
L'Imperatore had moved quickly enough to foil
him and his coconspirators. From the sounds of
things, very few of them were among the living...
He took a heavy breath and blew out energetically.
Enough. Now what to do? He had contacts at court.
Many contacts, none that wanted war, but as for a
niche for himself, he might just be able to arrange
that.
***
When Machiavelli arrived in the French court, he
had more than a few hopes to secure the help of the
French King. Louis had more than a few pretensions
with his Italian titles to want to make the rest of
them real. He had already done so by taking,
holding and breaking to his will, the northern Italian
city-states. Some of who were among the most powerful:
Genoa, Venice, and Milan. Perhaps he could be
entreated to rescue Florence? A titular lordship of
Florence with great local autonomy was well within
Machiavelli's embassy to negotiate. It was the
Florentine Resistance's third option (after being
truly independent and a Swiss Canton). Unfortunately,
Machiavelli's personality and strong opinions would
cost the Florentines this possible route.
Niccolo was delayed time and again at the French
court. His case while quite possibly a very big
temptation for the French King, couldn't seem to get
past the Cardinal of Rouen. The Cardinal would
intercept it time and again, putting off the
presentation. In reality, Georges d'Amboise and
Niccolo Machiavelli just hated each other. They
rubbed each other the wrong way from the moment
they met. If Niccolo had been able to abase
himself, roll over like a puppy during a dog fight
and show his belly as a gesture of surrender, he
might have had a chance.
Unfortunately, his time with Hans Schio and
negotiating with the Swiss Cantons had not made
him a more mellow or humble man. If anything,
they had made him more outspoken and forthright.
In some instances, this is to be admired, even
praised. When you are coming as a beggar into
another man's house, entreating for help, being
too proud definitely goes before a fall.
In this case, Machiavelli did eventually get
around the Cardinal of Rouen. His case was
presented to the King. Unfortunately, the
presentation would be with Georges d'Amboise
present. The interaction between the two would
underwhelm the King and the Cardinal's obvious
influence undermined the opinion and
presentation of Niccolo. By the end, Niccolo
would feel the king was a fool and the Cardinal
was a hateful and small man.
The nastiest moment, which would precipitate
the end of the audience, would be when the
Cardinal began belittling Machiavelli's idea
arguing that the French would not be able to
count on the Italians in battle because, after
all, "The Italians know nothing of warfare."
Machiavelli's temper would get the better of him
and he in turn snapped back, "The French are so
imbecilic as to know nothing of politics!" At
that point, the king snapped that the whole affair
was at an end and swept from the room.
Georges d'Amboise smirked and followed his king.
If not for the fact he was so angry, Niccolo would
have realized at that moment he had destroyed the
hopes of Florence getting French aid. He would
stay in France for another six months, yet the
whole time despondent. He knew whose fault it was
for the mission's failure: it was he and he alone.
With all the time spent waiting, prior to the
audience, he did sample the local cuisine and
travel a bit around Paris. He would travel to
several of the Gothic cathedrals and marvel. He
even stopped to speak with a peasant - the poor
guy all but panicking – about the local area. It
ended up where Niccolo would treat him to a meal
at a local tavern. The two would talk. Vachel was
no genius, but he did make a much better impression
upon Machiavelli than did Louis and the Cardinal.
Upon taking his leave, Machiavelli made a gift of
gold. It was not very much to the ambassador, but
a great deal more than Vachel would see in several
years. Vachel would tell his eldest surviving son,
Donatien, in the years to come that opportunities
come at strange times and places. So as to not
miss them, it would be best to keep his eyes open
and his hands quick so it wouldn't fall through
them. Unfortunately, his son would hear him, but
take it the wrong way. Donatien d'Delano would be
a notorious highwayman of which many a legend would
be spun.
After his disastrous audience, Machiavelli would try
time and again to get to the King. However, the foot
that he'd all but swallowed up to his thigh at that
presentation would not regurgitate. He would make
another friend during that frustrating and
self-recriminating time. Unfortunately, Talbot was
not the man he ought to have been friends with if he
wished to gain a second chance.
Talbot DeVardon was a minor noble from the eastern
border with the Holy Roman Empire. He was constantly
carping and harassing the court to launch into the HRE
to move the border. The further it was from his domains,
the better, was what he thought. Talbot was not Hans,
but his company was welcomed. He and the strange
Irishman, Kennedy, which he kept with him, were good
company of the sort to be cheered up with. That was
why Niccolo became friends with him. It was not until
Niccolo had realized that Talbot was the virtually
mortal enemy of the Cardinal of Rouen that he decided
that his mission could not be salvaged. He departed
Paris with a sad letter to Hans and a complete
admission of failure to his countrymen.
Enroute back to Florence, he had one moment of
surprise and shock. Talbot had left with him,
thinking to try to cheer him up. Bandits ambushed
them, or so it would appear [FN2], and DeVardon's
pistol would misfire and end up killing Kennedy.
After that, Talbot took his leave to bury his
friend on his own estates.
Seeking solace for Kennedy's death, his own
loneliness, and to purge himself of his guilt,
Machiavelli turned again to the pen and authored
_On the Character and Culture of the French People_.
It opened with an introductory letter to Hans again,
but reflected his mood and feelings of spitefulness
as he made his way south. As such, it was not a very
fair or unbiased book at all. Though it did have
tracts praising aspects of France, it was a very
vicious book and not one that ought to have been
written. However, it was.
***
Greco De Canto
***
As their carriages pulled up to the Machiavelli
residence in Mistra, Niccolo was pondering his
next move. He felt like a grand master chess player.
Moving a piece here and a piece there within his
mind and playing out the permutations. Perhaps as
a general? No…the Moreans would make him work his
way up the ladder of rank and it was often quite
hazardous to start out a low officer in Morean
legions: they stood in line with the rest of the
men and died with the rest of the men.
As an architect? No. He didn't know nearly
enough. He could study at it and learn. However,
that would take more time than he had. In time,
perhaps, as something to broaden his horizons as
all men ought, but not now.
As a play write? The Moreans were more
appreciative of that sort of thing than the
average culture in Europe. Their previous empress,
the rather impressive Zoe, had resurrected the
Greek theaters and had placed an imperially funded
competition for playwrights. However, his own
skills, while present, were not to local taste.
As a tutor? There were possibilities there.
However, at his age, he had his own children to
teach and look after…
He chuckled. Perhaps he just ought to /write/.
He could do that. Then he could get someone
attention and a position through that.
Though, as an instructor at an academy…the Emperor
was very favorable to education…
He would need time to sit and think after he'd
settled his family. Then he would decide.
***
While riding south and home, a letter came to him.
His coconspirators were asking him to try an
embassy to the Moreans. The alternative was the
Spanish and none of the Florentines liked the idea
of the Spanish taking control. They'd backstabbed
Genoa rather badly in taking Corsica from them and
no one wanted to have to ally with them. The Moreans
were considered to be almost as bad. They had fought
on the side of the other external powers against
Venice and had invaded Naples! However, they were
further away and less of a threat to Florence with the
Spanish and the Borgias between them. Besides, the
Moreans had their hands full with their recent
acquisitions along the Adriatic. Perhaps if paid,
they come thump Augusto's head a time or two, enough
to free Florence from the despotic bastard. Maybe.
Machiavelli had his doubts. The Moreans were not
mercenaries. Not at all. They were empire
builders as much as the Spanish were and once
they set foot on Florentine soil, they'd not go
home. The bankers were thinking that they could
bribe the Emperor with enough money to push his
way to the Nestos River so she could complete the
conquest of Macedonia would be enough. He had his
doubts there too: Zoe was settling down to
transition the throne, leaving a stable base for
her heir to take control while she retired, not
anything more. Her recent acquisitions had been
impulsive, and lucky. The Hungarians and Turks
were bashing each other's heads and she'd taken
advantage of the situation. That was all.
Still, it was a last stab at the problem. Otherwise
it was be condettieri mercenaries and a local
uprising only against Augusto's professional army:
something that'd not work well. Even so, Machiavelli
was growing tired. It had been years since he'd been
home and seen his family. He had more than a little
guilt over the things he'd done to keep from being
distracted by his sexual urges [FN3]. However, his
people needed him. So, to Morea through Marseilles
he went.
***
FN1: France holds northern Italy: Milan, Florence,
and all the minor principalities and dukedoms between
were conquered and are being reorganized into the province
within France of L'Italie.
FN2: The Cardinal saw an opportunity and took it. It
didn't work out, but there were no real consequences...for
him. Or France.
FN3: You really ought to read some of Mach's letters
from RL. Man, oh man!
****
Comments?
Will
--
Disclaimer: Seriously there is no part 7. I've tried searching for it. If one really wants the author's response about some part of this, send him an email.
Machiavelli in Morea is an attempt to write a
politico-philosophical what-if. It has been
one of the goals of which I have been writing
towards in my Morean timeline. You might say
that MiM is a signpost on my Morean gedanken
experiment. If it fails, it fails because of
me and only me. I have my limitations. If it
pisses you off, that's your problem. Nyah!
This isn't strictly about ole Mach. It is about
him and his /impact/. There are ripples when a
person of thought expresses them out of the same
context. There are large differences in what
thoughts get expressed when they have a different
lineage.
***
Exiled
***
Greeting his family on the docks, he was shaken.
He had received word that they were coming. He
was shocked and dismayed at what had happened.
As he embraced his wife, she muttered one sentence.
That sentence rocked him to his core. It would
forever change his life course and render things
strange. Another man might have despaired and
collapsed under the weight of what had happened,
not Niccolo. Certainly not Niccolo. He was adept
at finding his way through the caltrop-covered
fields of life and here would be no exception.
He didn't see how, not now, but he'd find a way.
That world-shaping sentence? Augusto Borgia had
declared that all the families of the Republic of
Florence that had opposed him were banished from
the Kingdom of Italy under penalty of death if
they returned. As the ambassador to the Romans
in Morea, especially since he had been there
pleading for help to gain support for the
rebellion of Florence, Niccolo's life was forfeit
if he returned. The only reason his family wasn't
dead was the combined quick thinking of his wife
and father.
From the docks, he ushered his wife, child, and
father into a carriage. From the docks they
sped to his temporary accommodations in Patrai
and an uncertain and daunting future.
It was the year 1507.
***
Machiavelli had originally come to Morea in
the late 1490s as an ambassador for the Republic
of Florence. The reason being that the Moreans
had made their mark on the Italian Peninsula by
attempting to take the Kingdom of Naples. It had
been a trap set by the then Pope to try to undo the
Paleologues because that Pope had developed a very
deep and person hatred of them. Machiavelli had left
Morea and been sent to the Switzerland and France in
turn after Florence fell to Augusto Borgia.
In OTL, he had been to the Holy Roman Empire, ATL
the HRE is getting thrashed. The Hungarians have
sacked Vienna. The Poles are chewing on the eastern
border. The French have carved off northwest. The
Emperor is in no position to intervene in Italy.
The Swiss are.
Swiss officers once remarked that if they wanted
it, they could take the whole of Italy at any time.
Their disdain for the Italian mode of warfare was
so great and powerful that they felt almost pure
contempt for many Italian officers. This went to
the point of more than one battle was lost when
the Swiss mercenaries would simply ignore their
employers' generals.
While the Morean mode of warfare is spreading in
Italy, the Swiss have contacts with the Moreans.
They have had more than a few interchanges of
ideas and technique giving them an edge on the
other adopters. The primary problem has been
that the Swiss simply are too insulated a people
at this point. Their xenophobia makes them
unlikely conquerors. Defend their cantons and
well, but add more? Their culture was against
it.
Machiavelli's mission to the Swiss would and
did end in nothing more than frustration. They
simply were not, despite vast amounts of
boastfulness, really interested in fighting
their way down to Florence. Italians? Who
wants them? Besides, at this point, this
means a war with the French. Lord knows the
Swiss don't want to pick two fights at the same
time [FN1]. Machiavelli's frustration would
take time to come to its logical end. He would
fight, and hard, across the negotiating table
to try to entice a general march on Florence.
It took some time before he gave up: over a
year.
During the time frame that Niccolo was
negotiating with the Cantons, he would take
many tours around and across Switzerland. It
was interesting and a welcome break from the
arguments with stone – as he would later call
it. He grew to be very impressed with the
Swiss and their way of life. He took many
notes and began to wonder if not the Swiss had
a point. Might Italy have become so corrupt
as to not be worth saving? After all, look at
the good and wholesome Swiss before him… It
was a seed of a thought as he continued to read,
as was his hobby, Livy's works.
One family made a very great impression on
Niccolo. He would visit their family farm,
just short of an estate by Italian standards,
many times. His discussions with Hans Schio
would be long and fascinating. Their topics
would range across many things, but for the
most part, Hans had a very down to earth and
practical point of view. Niccolo would often
bring up parallels between the Swiss and ancient
peoples. Hans would simply point out why the
Swiss did things the way they did without
attempting to embellish it more than necessary:
the Swiss were Swiss, not Greeks, not Republican
Romans, not… Niccolo would have none of it though
and sometimes would get overly excited in his
observations, enough so that when too much wine or
beer had been consumed, voices would get raised and
even spittle would fly. Nothing terrible would
come of it, often because the next morning Niccolo
would, after his raging headache had cleared enough
that he could think straight, would apologize to
Hans. Hans would grunt and shake his head.
Things would calm again for a time, until the
reached a fevered pitch in their arguing yet again
and the cycle would repeat again and again over
the nine months that Niccolo lived in Switzerland.
They would remain in touch, however, for a great
deal longer.
As Machiavelli left Switzerland, departing for
France, he began writing a book. It would not be
long, by our standards of the modern day, but it
was an interesting treatise. Entitled On the
Character of the Swiss People, the first
hand-written copy was sent back to his friend. The
introduction would actually be a letter to his
friend and sounding board, as would be Machiavelli's
modus operandi for his works, but the rest was not
quite so personable. The first portion of the book
would be a set of observations of the Swiss and their
way of life from the author's point of view: the
delights, shocks, and annoyances that he would
encounter in the Confederation. The middle third
of the book would be actually a heated discussion
between a thinly disguised Niccolo and Hans. The
last portion of the book was a critique of the
people: good, bad and ugly from the point of view
of the author. Some was harsh. Some was insightful.
Some was just plain wrong and tainted by
Machiavelli's worldview.
Hans was in turns bemused, delighted, and annoyed
by the book. A written rebuttal would be scribed
over the years and finally sent to Niccolo in a
collected form. This rebuttal book would take some
time to find its way to Niccolo since he'd moved
around a bit with the politics and Hans' efforts
would take longer since he himself was not as
articulate as Machiavelli. Writing was hard
work and he wanted to be sure he got across what
he meant. It wasn't so much a political treatise
with ties back to Rome and Greece as Niccolo's
work would be, but rather what many people would
see as a start of a more modern anthropological
view: it really was an study of a people from
within the people. It was not unflawed, but it
was interesting and insightful.
It would certainly influence Machiavelli's
later works.
***
A Frank Discussion
***
Over Morea's great pride and joy, her wide
cobblestone highways, Machiavelli's carriages
made their way southwest into the interior, to
Mistra. It was where he kept his home here.
Home? Not really. It would never be the family
estates outside Florence. Not now, not ever.
Not while that stinking pig of a Borgia sat on
the Italian throne. He despaired.
Yet flickering in that wallowing silent self-pity,
he couldn't help but admire young Augusto. How
could he not? How many young princes had the
insight to realize that being magnanimous would
simply come to bite them in the arse one day?
Based on the histories of the city-states of
Italy, not many. Too many had respected the
rights of the families there, only to
successfully conspire against the new prince
to pull him down. Hadn't that been what
Machiavelli had been helping to plan anyways?
L'Imperatore had moved quickly enough to foil
him and his coconspirators. From the sounds of
things, very few of them were among the living...
He took a heavy breath and blew out energetically.
Enough. Now what to do? He had contacts at court.
Many contacts, none that wanted war, but as for a
niche for himself, he might just be able to arrange
that.
***
When Machiavelli arrived in the French court, he
had more than a few hopes to secure the help of the
French King. Louis had more than a few pretensions
with his Italian titles to want to make the rest of
them real. He had already done so by taking,
holding and breaking to his will, the northern Italian
city-states. Some of who were among the most powerful:
Genoa, Venice, and Milan. Perhaps he could be
entreated to rescue Florence? A titular lordship of
Florence with great local autonomy was well within
Machiavelli's embassy to negotiate. It was the
Florentine Resistance's third option (after being
truly independent and a Swiss Canton). Unfortunately,
Machiavelli's personality and strong opinions would
cost the Florentines this possible route.
Niccolo was delayed time and again at the French
court. His case while quite possibly a very big
temptation for the French King, couldn't seem to get
past the Cardinal of Rouen. The Cardinal would
intercept it time and again, putting off the
presentation. In reality, Georges d'Amboise and
Niccolo Machiavelli just hated each other. They
rubbed each other the wrong way from the moment
they met. If Niccolo had been able to abase
himself, roll over like a puppy during a dog fight
and show his belly as a gesture of surrender, he
might have had a chance.
Unfortunately, his time with Hans Schio and
negotiating with the Swiss Cantons had not made
him a more mellow or humble man. If anything,
they had made him more outspoken and forthright.
In some instances, this is to be admired, even
praised. When you are coming as a beggar into
another man's house, entreating for help, being
too proud definitely goes before a fall.
In this case, Machiavelli did eventually get
around the Cardinal of Rouen. His case was
presented to the King. Unfortunately, the
presentation would be with Georges d'Amboise
present. The interaction between the two would
underwhelm the King and the Cardinal's obvious
influence undermined the opinion and
presentation of Niccolo. By the end, Niccolo
would feel the king was a fool and the Cardinal
was a hateful and small man.
The nastiest moment, which would precipitate
the end of the audience, would be when the
Cardinal began belittling Machiavelli's idea
arguing that the French would not be able to
count on the Italians in battle because, after
all, "The Italians know nothing of warfare."
Machiavelli's temper would get the better of him
and he in turn snapped back, "The French are so
imbecilic as to know nothing of politics!" At
that point, the king snapped that the whole affair
was at an end and swept from the room.
Georges d'Amboise smirked and followed his king.
If not for the fact he was so angry, Niccolo would
have realized at that moment he had destroyed the
hopes of Florence getting French aid. He would
stay in France for another six months, yet the
whole time despondent. He knew whose fault it was
for the mission's failure: it was he and he alone.
With all the time spent waiting, prior to the
audience, he did sample the local cuisine and
travel a bit around Paris. He would travel to
several of the Gothic cathedrals and marvel. He
even stopped to speak with a peasant - the poor
guy all but panicking – about the local area. It
ended up where Niccolo would treat him to a meal
at a local tavern. The two would talk. Vachel was
no genius, but he did make a much better impression
upon Machiavelli than did Louis and the Cardinal.
Upon taking his leave, Machiavelli made a gift of
gold. It was not very much to the ambassador, but
a great deal more than Vachel would see in several
years. Vachel would tell his eldest surviving son,
Donatien, in the years to come that opportunities
come at strange times and places. So as to not
miss them, it would be best to keep his eyes open
and his hands quick so it wouldn't fall through
them. Unfortunately, his son would hear him, but
take it the wrong way. Donatien d'Delano would be
a notorious highwayman of which many a legend would
be spun.
After his disastrous audience, Machiavelli would try
time and again to get to the King. However, the foot
that he'd all but swallowed up to his thigh at that
presentation would not regurgitate. He would make
another friend during that frustrating and
self-recriminating time. Unfortunately, Talbot was
not the man he ought to have been friends with if he
wished to gain a second chance.
Talbot DeVardon was a minor noble from the eastern
border with the Holy Roman Empire. He was constantly
carping and harassing the court to launch into the HRE
to move the border. The further it was from his domains,
the better, was what he thought. Talbot was not Hans,
but his company was welcomed. He and the strange
Irishman, Kennedy, which he kept with him, were good
company of the sort to be cheered up with. That was
why Niccolo became friends with him. It was not until
Niccolo had realized that Talbot was the virtually
mortal enemy of the Cardinal of Rouen that he decided
that his mission could not be salvaged. He departed
Paris with a sad letter to Hans and a complete
admission of failure to his countrymen.
Enroute back to Florence, he had one moment of
surprise and shock. Talbot had left with him,
thinking to try to cheer him up. Bandits ambushed
them, or so it would appear [FN2], and DeVardon's
pistol would misfire and end up killing Kennedy.
After that, Talbot took his leave to bury his
friend on his own estates.
Seeking solace for Kennedy's death, his own
loneliness, and to purge himself of his guilt,
Machiavelli turned again to the pen and authored
_On the Character and Culture of the French People_.
It opened with an introductory letter to Hans again,
but reflected his mood and feelings of spitefulness
as he made his way south. As such, it was not a very
fair or unbiased book at all. Though it did have
tracts praising aspects of France, it was a very
vicious book and not one that ought to have been
written. However, it was.
***
Greco De Canto
***
As their carriages pulled up to the Machiavelli
residence in Mistra, Niccolo was pondering his
next move. He felt like a grand master chess player.
Moving a piece here and a piece there within his
mind and playing out the permutations. Perhaps as
a general? No…the Moreans would make him work his
way up the ladder of rank and it was often quite
hazardous to start out a low officer in Morean
legions: they stood in line with the rest of the
men and died with the rest of the men.
As an architect? No. He didn't know nearly
enough. He could study at it and learn. However,
that would take more time than he had. In time,
perhaps, as something to broaden his horizons as
all men ought, but not now.
As a play write? The Moreans were more
appreciative of that sort of thing than the
average culture in Europe. Their previous empress,
the rather impressive Zoe, had resurrected the
Greek theaters and had placed an imperially funded
competition for playwrights. However, his own
skills, while present, were not to local taste.
As a tutor? There were possibilities there.
However, at his age, he had his own children to
teach and look after…
He chuckled. Perhaps he just ought to /write/.
He could do that. Then he could get someone
attention and a position through that.
Though, as an instructor at an academy…the Emperor
was very favorable to education…
He would need time to sit and think after he'd
settled his family. Then he would decide.
***
While riding south and home, a letter came to him.
His coconspirators were asking him to try an
embassy to the Moreans. The alternative was the
Spanish and none of the Florentines liked the idea
of the Spanish taking control. They'd backstabbed
Genoa rather badly in taking Corsica from them and
no one wanted to have to ally with them. The Moreans
were considered to be almost as bad. They had fought
on the side of the other external powers against
Venice and had invaded Naples! However, they were
further away and less of a threat to Florence with the
Spanish and the Borgias between them. Besides, the
Moreans had their hands full with their recent
acquisitions along the Adriatic. Perhaps if paid,
they come thump Augusto's head a time or two, enough
to free Florence from the despotic bastard. Maybe.
Machiavelli had his doubts. The Moreans were not
mercenaries. Not at all. They were empire
builders as much as the Spanish were and once
they set foot on Florentine soil, they'd not go
home. The bankers were thinking that they could
bribe the Emperor with enough money to push his
way to the Nestos River so she could complete the
conquest of Macedonia would be enough. He had his
doubts there too: Zoe was settling down to
transition the throne, leaving a stable base for
her heir to take control while she retired, not
anything more. Her recent acquisitions had been
impulsive, and lucky. The Hungarians and Turks
were bashing each other's heads and she'd taken
advantage of the situation. That was all.
Still, it was a last stab at the problem. Otherwise
it was be condettieri mercenaries and a local
uprising only against Augusto's professional army:
something that'd not work well. Even so, Machiavelli
was growing tired. It had been years since he'd been
home and seen his family. He had more than a little
guilt over the things he'd done to keep from being
distracted by his sexual urges [FN3]. However, his
people needed him. So, to Morea through Marseilles
he went.
***
FN1: France holds northern Italy: Milan, Florence,
and all the minor principalities and dukedoms between
were conquered and are being reorganized into the province
within France of L'Italie.
FN2: The Cardinal saw an opportunity and took it. It
didn't work out, but there were no real consequences...for
him. Or France.
FN3: You really ought to read some of Mach's letters
from RL. Man, oh man!
****
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