The Diplomat of Florence: A Novel of Machiavelli and the Borgias

Florence,1498, and revolution is in the air.For poor young studentNiccolò Machiavellithe sudden and unexpected collapse of the Medici regime is his opportunity to get on the path to success. Elected to a position of influence in the Florentine government, the inexperienced diplomat must learn quickly as he is sent to try and stem the advance of a new warlord rampaging across northern Italy.Cruel and vicious,Cesare Borgiais the illegitimate son of a pope with ambitions to carve out a kingdom by seizing the territory of a weak and vacillating Florentine Republic.As he tries to counter the Borgia threat, Machiavelli is plunged into the grim realities of power politics, negotiates with kings and popes, and learns that no one can be trusted.If you likedWolf Hall, you will love this story of the journey of a skilled diplomat whose name has become a byword for treachery and double-dealing, but whose real personality was much more complex.Read more