After his imprisonment Machiavelli found himself to be unemployed, he tried desperately to re-enter the political scene. He spent most of his remaining years producing his most significant works. This included, ‘History of Florence’, ‘Discourses on Livy’, ‘The Art of War’, etc… However, it was with ‘The Prince’ he hoped to regain political support. ‘The Prince’ was not published until five years after Machiavelli’s death. He originally dedicated it to Giuliano de'Medici.
He was exiled to Tomis in 8 AD where he wrote about his depression and desire to return to Rome (Tristia and Epistulae ex Ponto). His wish was never fulfilled however, as he died in exile around 17 AD. Publius Vergilius Maro was born in October of 70 BC near Mantua in Cisalpine Gaul. Like Ovid, Vergil was born to an upper class family and he also studied rhetoric and law before delving into his love of poetry. Vergil’s family fled to Rome after they lost much of their property and wealth during Marc Antony’s civil war.
When Maximian, in dispute with his son, fled to Constantine, Constantine received and sheltered him until Maximian, in an attempt to regain the throne, undertook a revolt against Constantine's rule in Gaul. Unsuccessful against Constantine, Maximian was forced to commit suicide. Constantine, having already declared against Maxentius and ignoring the fact that Galerius had recognized Licinius in the East, now considered himself emperor. When Galerius died in 310, still another claimant to the imperial throne appeared in Maximin, who allied himself with Maxentius against the alliance of Licinius and Constantine. While Licinius attacked Maximin, Constantine moved into Italy against Maxentius.
Simone's death, which we know for certain was 4 August 1344. Simone was important exponent of Gothic painting who did more than any other artist to spread the influence of Sienese painting. Sienese painting wich was together with Florence, Siena was the chief economic, political, and cultural center of Tuscany in the late Middle Ages and early Renaissance. Although only in 1559 did Siena become part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany under the rule of the Medici Simone was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style. Simone was very possibly a pupil of Duccio di Buoninsegna, the leading Sienese painter of his time.
When in 1751 George’s father died unexpectedly from a lung injury George became the heir apparent to the throne. A few weeks later his grandfather gave him the title George Prince of Wales. George’s grandfather now began to take more interest in George and offered him St. James Palace. His mother would not let him leave home although because she wanted to implement her strong moral values. In 1759 George was in love with Lady Sarah Lennox and was planning to marry her.
De’ Medici Family The House of Medici was one of the most significant Florentine political and banking dynasties during the European Renaissance. Later it became a powerful and prominent royal house under Cosimo de’ Medici in the Republic of Florence. Originally from the Mugello region in the Tuscan countryside, the family’s power gradually rose until it was able to found the Medici Bank in 1397. It was the largest and most respected bank during its time, and eventually made the House of Medici the wealthiest family in Europe (Jurdjevig 1). The Medici family also had an impact in the history of the Catholic Church with four Popes from the Medici heritage.
Some Medici were Renaissance humanists in their own right. More important, they became patrons supporting some of the greatest art and scholarship of the entire Renaissance. The Medici family became prosperous through banking. They had branches throughout Europe in London, Naples, Cologne, Geneva, Lyons, Basel, Avignon, Bruges, Antwerp, Lubeck, Bolgna, Rome, Pisa, and Venice. Cosimo de’ Medici was the de facto ruler of Florence from 1434 to 1464, and was also an astute banker and a highly cultivated man of letters.
He rose in command at a very short period leading to his brother’s jealousy. Hongwu also conquered many dynasties before rising to become emperor. Both Taizong and Hongwu did not choose the successors they initially preferred. Taizong who had preferred his eldest son Li Chengqian had to resort to choosing his ninth son Li Zhi after Li Chengqian planned to kill his younger brother Li Tai after suspecting that his father was to choose him for succession (Rossabi). Hongwu had initially planned his successor to be Prince Biao, his eldest son.
Cesare Beccaria lived from 1738 to 1794. Beccaria was the eldest son in an aristocratic family. In his twenties Beccaria became close friends with Alessandro and Pietro Verri, two brothers who formed an intellectual circle called “the academy of fists”. This circle focused on restructuring the criminal justice system. Through this group Beccaria encountered numerous French and British political philosophers.
Tokugawa Ieyasu Tokugawa Ieyasu was born in Matsudaira Takechiyo in 1542, son of the lord of the province of Mikawa. At the time of his birth, Japan was plummeted in civil war, with violent feuds between territorial lords which had lasted for nearly a century. When he was four Ieyasu was sent as a hostage to secure an alliance between his clan and the neighboring Imagawa clan. He was then raised at their court and given the education of a nobleman. In 1567 Ieyasu’s father’s death had left him as leader of the Matsudaira, allied with the Oba Nobunaga who was a powerful neighbor.