4 - Machiavelli, servant of the Florentine republic

Summary

From 19 June 1498 until 7 November 1512, Niccolò di Messer Bernardo Machiavelli served in the chancery of the Florentine republic. The Florentine chancery consisted mainly of a body of quasi-permanent officials who administered the republic's internal and external affairs, carrying out policies which had been determined by the city's magistrates and councils. The internal business of the republic was executed by a number of autonomous chancery departments: the notary of the Signoria looked after the day-to-day business of Florence's chief magistracy; the notary of the Tratte supervised elections to Florence's many magistracies; the notary of the Riformagioni administered the business of Florence's legislative councils. External policies were decided by the chief magistracy, the Signoria, as well as by a theoretically occasional magistracy, the Dieci di Balia. The business of these magistracies was administered by one department, presided over by the first chancellor; second in command of this department of external affairs was the second chancellor. In theory, the first chancellor was in charge of administering Florentine relations with foreign states, while the second chancellor was meant to supervise Florentine business outside the city proper but within Florentine subject territories; in practice, however, there was considerable overlap in the responsibilities of the first and second chancellors. On 19 June 1498 Machiavelli was elected second chancellor and less than a month later, on 14 July 1498, he was given the additional task of serving the Dieci di Balia.