Conqueror
A conqueror is a person whom has been able to acquire a certain piece of authority. Machiavelli analyzes how different people are able to conquer drawing a contrast between three people. This helps the audience to determine how various people rise to power and why different persons cannot survive on their own. Each of the three personalities below was a ruler of his own kind.
Cesare Borgia
Cesare Borgia is a legitimate son of Pope Alexander VI. This was the first pope who publicly acknowledged his children with a lover. Alexander used his influence in the church and in the government to ensure that his children lived a great life especially Cesare. First he used his powers as a pope to raise his son to the position of a cardinal. While Cesare had been able to undergo theology his position was mainly due to his father’s influence. Later when there were political turmoil’s in Italy, Alexander VI denounced all the vicars in northern Italy creating a way for his son to have a state of his own which he could gove5n.
Agathocles the Sicilian
Agathocles is one of the few men who have risen to power although they originally came from a humble beginning. Agathocles was born of a porter and he later married a widow of a prominent man. In his quest to rule Sicily, he tried to overthrow the leadership of a political party twice but he was not successful. Later he came up with a group of mercenaries with him he killed over 10,000 people. This created fear among the citizens and he therefore made himself a king. He was later fought and defeated which made him to run in Africa. When he returned to Sicily he had to make peace treaties so as to regain his kingship. Before his death he was planning for more wars. He was poisoned by his grandson and died.
Liverotto da Fermo
Liverotto was left fatherless at childhood and was taken up by his uncle. At teenage, he was enrolled into the army so that he could gain command. While at the army he rose to the position of a commander and felt convinced that he should take control of Ferno. He tried many times fighting alongside seasoned fighters so as to gain trait. Soon, he became accustomed to the battle front and power. Later he invited his uncle and other noble men into a feast which he enticed into talks about the powers of Cesare and his father. He pretended to get a private place for their talk and slaughtered them all leaving him with power.
Conqueror praised by Machiavelli
Of these three conquerors Machiavelli praise the arms taken by Cesare whom he says gets principality through other’s arm and fortune. While Agathocles and Liverotto gained power through violence and crime, Cesare was able to rise to power by the help of his father. Though he was in control of mercenaries, he did little harm to the citizens. His father used traits to seduce the citizen into liking his son. Thus the citizens trusted him more than they feared him. on the other hand the citizens feared Agathocles and Liverotto more that they trusted them. Machiavelli even wonders how the latter could be able to live such a long life.
