Fortune Is a River: Leonardo da Vinci Niccolo Machiavelli's Magnificent Dream Change Course Florenti - Softcover

Masters, Roger D.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0452280907 ISBN 13: 9780452280908

Publisher: Plume, 1999

Synopsis

Opening a window on Renaissance Florence and two of its geniuses, the author traces the little-known friendship between da Vinci and Machiavelli and their joint effort to fulfill da Vinci's extravagant dream of turning Florence into a seaport. Reprint.

About this title

Review

History is sometimes made by seemingly insignificant moments that turn out to have been pivotal in hindsight--and sometimes what didn't happen proves to be as important as what did. One such moment came in the Florentine court of Cesare Borgia, when a civil servant named Niccolò Machiavelli recruited a local engineer named Leonardo da Vinci to devise a plan to change the course of the Arno River. Diverting that river, Machiavelli reasoned, would deprive Florence's enemy, the nearby city-state of Pisa, of a dependable water supply. It would also make the Arno River navigable for oceangoing vessels from the inland city of Florence, and as an added incentive, would help limit damage caused by the flood-prone Arno to the surrounding farmlands.

Machiavelli and da Vinci devised a hydrological plan for the river that was extraordinarily promising, at least on paper. The flood-prone Arno, however, made the task an impossible challenge. The pair's chances of success were further reduced by poor design, bad timing, and undisciplined workers. Their failure brought official disfavor on Machiavelli and da Vinci alike. Leonardo transferred his studio to Milan and then Rome, where he would produce remarkable work, while Machiavelli retreated from public life for a time and used his forced leisure to write The Prince. Roger Masters crafts an epic tale out of a historical footnote. Although some of his conclusions are speculative in regards to Niccolò's and Leonardo's relationship, readers will likely find his narrative persuasive and deeply informed.

About the Author

Roger D. Masters is the Nelson A. Rockefeller Professor of Government at Dartmouth College. The author of academic works on Machiavelli and Rousseau, as well as studies linking modern biology with political behavior, Fortune Is a River is Professor Masters' first book for a popular audience.

Edition details

• Publisher: Plume
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0452280907
• ISBN 13: 9780452280908
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 278