This highly influential anti-Machiavellian text is an important primary source for the understanding of early modern political thought.

This study fills a notable gap in the history of political thought.

This is the first translation into English of Guicciardini's Dialogue on the Government of Florence. Written in the early 1520s by the author of the famous History of Italy, as well as a History of Florence and Political Maxims and Reflections, this dialogue presents what is arguably the most searching and comprehensive analysis of the politics of his times. Like Machiavelli, his contemporary and friend, Guicciardini rejects classical republican arguments in the name of the new political realism and acknowledges the important role of patronage and graft in contemporary politics and the illegitimacy of nearly all forms of political power. In this Dialogue he provides one of the clearest expositions of the term 'reason of state', which he was one of the first to employ and which he uses to justify the priority of state interest over private morality and religion.

Acclaimed writer and historian Noel Malcolm presents his sensational discovery of a new work by Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679): a propaganda pamphlet on behalf of the Habsburg side in the Thirty Years' War, translated by Hobbes from a Latin original. Malcolm's book explores a fascinating episode in seventeenth-century history, illuminating both the practice of early modern propaganda and the theory of "reason of state".

The first comprehensive study of early modern English political counsel and its association with the discourse of sovereignty.

Faith-based and secular approaches to politics and foreign policy have often been involved in a kind of uneasy and adversarial 'contest.' However, the world produced by the 1648 Treaty of Westphalia, in conjunctions with the (often radical) Enlightenment, the impact of the French Revolution and the advent during the 20th century of popular an secular mass ideologies, strongly suggested that a modern 'winner' had emerged; especially in the West, most faith-related tensions on various issues appeared to have been primarily resolved on the basis of non-religious considerations and choices. There can be little doubt, though, that the 21st century is witnessing a global resurgence of religion that has manifested itself both peacefully and violently. This 'return of faith' has implications for International Relations theory and also poses significant challenges for statesmanship and the pursuit of the national interest. At a minimum, religious beliefs have to be treated with the utmost seriousness. Furthermore, significant questions are inevitably raised about the scope, issues and manner in which personal faith ought to influence domestic and foreign policy. The last time that similar questions were posed with a comparable intensity in the West was during early modern European history. The era's often savage and religiously-inspired conflicts produced profound intellectual efforts aiming to guide statesmanship through these challenges. The result was the development of raison d'deat thinking and philosophy. By focusing on the relevant works of Niccolo Machiavelli, Francesco Guicciardini, Givovanni Botero and Justus Lipsius, this book presents the concept's roots, evolution and arguments. The focus in this book is then turned to the career of Cardinal Richelieu, (perhaps the era's most successful statesman) and the key role that reason of state thinking played in his actions is analysed. This book tries to ascertain to what extent, and in what ways, issues of faith and religion formed part of Richelieu's attempts to define and pursue the national interest of seventeenth century France.

Economic Growth and the Origins of Modern Political Economy addresses the intellectual foundations of modern economic growth and European industrialization. Through an examination both of the roots of European industrialization and of the history of economic ideas, this book presents a uniquely broad examination of the origins of modern political economy. This volume asks what can we learn from ‘old’ theories in terms of our understanding of history, our economic fate today, and the prospects for the modern world’s poorest countries. Spanning across the past five hundred years, this book brings together leading international contributors offering comparative perspectives with countries outside of Europe in order to place the evolution of modern economic knowledge into a broader reference framework. It integrates economic discourse and the intellectual history of political economy with more empirical studies in economic history and the history of science. In doing so, this innovative volume presents a coherent and innovative new strategy towards a reconfiguration of the history of modern political economy. This book is suitable for those who study history of economic thought, economic history or European history.

Although no less an authority than Joseph A. Schumpeter proclaimed that Antonio Serra was the world's first economist, he remains something of a dark horse of economic historiography. 'A 'Short Treatise' on the Wealth and Poverty of Nations' presents, for the first time, an English translation of Serra's 'Breve Trattato' (1613), one of the most famous tracts in the history of political economy. The treatise is accompanied by Sophus A. Reinert's illuminating introduction which explores its historical context, reception, and relevance for current concerns.

A committed Lutheran excommunicated from his own church, a friend to Catholics and Calvinists alike, a layman who called himself a “priest of God,” a Copernican in a world where Ptolemy still reigned, a man who argued at the same time for the superiority of one truth and the need for many truths to coexist—German astronomer Johannes Kepler was, to say the least, a complicated figure. With The Pursuit of Harmony, Aviva Rothman offers a new view of him and his achievements, one that presents them as a story of Kepler’s attempts to bring different, even opposing ideas and circumstances into harmony. Harmony, Rothman shows, was both the intellectual bedrock for and the primary goal of Kepler’s disparate endeavors. But it was also an elusive goal amid the deteriorating conditions of his world, as the political order crumbled and religious war raged. In the face of that devastation, Kepler’s hopes for his theories changed: whereas he had originally looked for a unifying approach to truth, he began instead to emphasize harmony as the peaceful coexistence of different views, one that could be fueled by the fundamentally nonpartisan discipline of mathematics.

This essay deals with the fascinating although complex relationship between the figure of Machiavelli and the Society of Jesus in Italy and Spain. The text introduces the reader to the way in which the Jesuits responded to Niccolò Machiavelli's political doctrine and followers, by presenting alternative conceptions of reason of state and the role of ethics in practical politics.Some of the topics and figures addressed in this essay include: -The Jesuits: Machiavellian or anti-Machiavellian?-Casuistry-Simulation and dissimulation in politics-The anti-Jesuit libel 'Secreta Monita'-Reason of state and Christian reason of state-Counter-Reformation in Italy and Spain-Niccolò Machiavelli's 'The Prince' and the 'Discourses'-Ignatius of Loyola-Giovanni Botero's 'On Reason of State' ('Della ragion di stato')-Pedro de Ribadeneyra, Juan de Mariana, Francisco de QuevedoThe essay contains, among other things, 11 plates that depict authors and covers of the main texts mentioned in its pages, as well as a list of helpful online resources. In addition, Clara Iglesias-Rondina (under the name 'M.C. Iglesias') is the author of the cover illustration, titled 'The Warrior'. This is the first volume of a series entitled 'The Anti-Machiavellians' that analyzes the early reaction to Machiavelli's teachings in Europe. The next volume will focus on the utilization of Machiavelli's texts by relevant anti-Machiavellian thinkers in England, France, Italy and Spain. (Essay: 16,200 words).About the Author: Clara Iglesias-Rondina is a scholar, author and illustrator. She earned her Ph.D. in Italian Studies at Yale University, a B.A. and M.A. at the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain, as well as a B.A. in Fine Arts in Santa Fe, Argentina. 'Machiavelli and the Jesuits. An Introduction' is her first book. Her future projects include volumes on Dante Alighieri, illustrated books, and a novel. She is the author of all the illustrations on the covers of her books.