Friday 19 January 2024
I was talking a bit about this book to P.R. last night. Castruccio Castracani was a warlord who lived two centuries before Niccolò Machiavelli. The introduction notes that much of Machiavelli’s short biography of him is fiction.
As Machiavelli tells the story, Castracani became de facto ruler of Lucca because he was a better fighter than the blood heir to the principality. He set about conquering neighbouring territories as well as killing internal rivals by the score. Ironically, this practiced killer failed to reckon on his own death, and while on horseback directing his forces in his greatest military victory, he caught a fatal chill from the cold damp wind by the Arno river.
On his deathbed, Castracani spoke to the prince who would now take over, regretting his lack of foresight, and predicting that all the enemies he had made would now turn against Lucca, which is what happened. His last advice to the prince was that being less of a warrior he should turn to the arts of peace to preserve Lucca’s gains. This advice was useless as neither the prince nor the city had any practice in peaceful politics from the years of Castracani’s rule. And so all that had been gained in Castruccio Castracani’s life was soon lost.