Paolo Carta Professor of History of Political Thought University of Trento Francesco Guicciardini (born March 6, 1483, Florence – died May 22, 1540, Florence) Abstract Strangely, philosophy has not given Francesco Guicciardini the same attention that Niccolò Machiavelli has received, although they both, from different perspectives and diverse backgrounds, focused their work on the very same object: the search for a way to establish in Florence a «well- structured and well-ordered regime that enjoyed genuine liberty» and promote a true political life. Both men thought about this subject from the vantage point of their experiences and their fears. Both belonged to a generation which lived under the constant threat of war, as Machiavelli wrote to Guicciardini (3 January 1526): «Always, as far back as I can remember, war has either been going on or has been talked about». Each of them, in his own individual way, was an original scholar and had a great influence on the subsequent philosophical and political tradition. The reason behind Guicciardini’s marginal position in the field of philosophical thought, may lie in the posthumous success of his work, due to the late discovery of some of his most influential writings, which in- cluded the Dialogo del reggimento di Firenze (Dialogue on the government of Florence) and the final draft of the Ricordi (Maxims), both published only in the second half of the 19th century. The popularity he gained in the 16th century, and which could have indeed affected the history of ideas, was limited to the Storia d’Italia (History of Italy, 1561) and the partial collection of his Ricordi (1576). Nevertheless, these two works did not fail to have a profound impact on political as well as historical and philosophical thought. Biography Member of an ancient patrician family, Francesco Tommaso G., was the third son of Piero Guicciardini and Simona Gianfigliazzi. He was named Francesco after Francesco de’ Nerli and Tommaso, after Thomas Aquinas. Marsilio Ficino, «the leading Platonic philosopher in the world at the time», was chosen to be his godfather, as he wrote in the Ricordanze, which is the main source for Guicciardini’s biography (1508) along with his letters. His family history and its growing repu- tation are the subject of his Memorie (1508). In all his early works Guicciardini deals frequently with his formative years and his education. For instance, in a brief exhortation, A se stesso, written in 1513, we read that according to his father’s wishes he was «brought up devoutly» (probably among Savonarola’s fanciulli). At school he studied humanities: Latin, Greek, and logic, and later law. His legal education, crucial for his diplomatic and political career, and, we might add, also for his historical and theoretical approach, began in November 1498 in Florence. His first professor was Iacopo Modesti da Prato, a pupil of Poliziano. His teachers included the leading personalities of the republic, such as Francesco Pepi, Ormannozzo Deti and Giovan Vittorio Soderini. In 1501, due to the great turmoil in the city, his father decided to send him to study in Ferrara. Out of disap- pointment, after one year, Guicciardini moved to Padua where he attended the lessons of Carlo Rui- ni, Girolamo Botticella and Cristoforo Alberizio. In Padua, Guicciardini was determined to follow his mentor, Filippo Decio, whom he had already met in Florence: the greatest jurist of his time, as