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14 - The Prince - Machiavelli · The Philosophy Insights Collection

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  Description of the methods adopted by the Duke Valentino were murdering Vitelozzo Vitelli, Oliverotto
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  di Fermo, the Signor Pagolo, and the duc de Gravini Orsini. The
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  Duke Valentino had returned from Lombardy, where he had been to clear himself with
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  the King of France from the calumnies which had been raised against him by the
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  Florentines concerning the rebellion of Arezzo and other towns in the val Diciani, and
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  had arrived at Imola, whence he intended with his army to enter upon the
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  campaign against Giovanni Bentivogli, the tyrant of Bologna, for he intended to bring
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  that city under his domination and to make it the head of his Romanian duchy.
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  These matters coming to the knowledge of the Vitelli and Orsini, and their
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  following, it appeared to them that the Duke would become too powerful, and
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  it was feared, having seized Bologna, he would seek to destroy them in
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  order that he might become supreme in Italy. Upon this a meeting was called
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  at Maggione in the district of Perusia, to which came the Cardinal Pagolo and
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  the Duke de Gravini, Orsini, Vielozzo Vitelli, Olivereto da Fermo, Gianpagallo
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  Baglioni, the Tyrant of Perusia, and Messer Antonio de Vanafro, sent by
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  Pandolfo Petrucci, the Prince of Siena. Here were discussed the power and courage
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  of the Duke, and the necessity of curbing his ambitions, which might otherwise
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  bring danger to the rest of being ruined. And they decided not to abandon
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  Bentivogli, but to strive to win over the Florentines. And they send their
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  men to one place and another, promising to one party assistance and to another
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  encouragement to unite with them against the common enemy. This meeting was at once
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  reported throughout all Italy, and those who were discontented under the Duke, among
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  whom were the people of Urbino, took hope of effecting a revolution. Thus
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  it arose that men's minds, being thus unsettled, it was decided by certain
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  men of Urbino to seize the fortress of San Leo, which was held for
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  the Duke, and which they captured By the following means the Castilian was fortifying
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  the rock and causing timber to be taken there. So the conspirators watched,
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  and when certain beams which were being carried to the rock were upon the bridge
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  so that it was prevented from being drawn up by those inside, they took
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  the opportunity of leaping upon the bridge and thence into the fortress. Upon this
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  capture being effected, the whole state rebelled and recalled the old Duke, being
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  encouraged in this not so much by the capture of the fort as by the
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  diet of Maggione, from whom they expected to get assistance. Those who heard
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  of the rebellion at Urbino thought they would not lose the opportunity, and at
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  once assembled their men so as to take any town, should any remain in
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  the hands of the Duke in that state. And they sent again to Florence
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  to beg that republic to join with them in destroying the common Firebrand, showing
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  that the risk was lessened and that they ought not to wait for another opportunity.
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  But the Florentines, from hatred for sundry reasons of the Vitelli and Orsini,
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  not only would not ally themselves, but sent Niccolo Macchiavelli, their secretary,
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  to offer shelter and assistance to the Duke against his enemies. The Duke
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  was found full of fear at Imola, because, against everybody's expectations, his
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  soldiers had at once gone over to the enemy, and he found himself disarmed
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  on war at his door. But recovering courage from the offers of the Floraarantines,
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  he decided to temporize before fighting with a few soldiers that remained to him,
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  and to negotiate for a reconciliation, and also to get assistance. This
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  latter he obtained two ways, by sending to the King of France for men,
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  and by enlisting men at arms and others, whom he turned into cavalry
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  of a sort, to all he gave money. Notwithstanding this, his enemies
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  drew near to him and approached for Saintbrone, where they encountered some men of
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  the Duke, and with the aid of the Orsini and Vitelli, rooted them.
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  When this happened, the Duke resolved at once to see if he could
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  not close the trouble with offers of reconciliation, and being a most perfect dissembler.
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  He did not fail in any practices to make the insurgents understand that he
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  wished every man who had acquired anything to keep it, as it was enough
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  for him to have the title of prince, whilst others might have the principality.
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  And the Duke succeeded so well in this that they sent Signor Pagolo to
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  him to negotiate for a reconciliation, and they brought their army to a standstill.
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  But the Duke did not stop his preparations, and took every care to
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  provide himself with cavalry and infantry, and that such preparations might not be apparent
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  to the others. He sent his troops in separate parties, to every part
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  of the Romagna. In the meanwhile, there came also to him five hundred
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  French lancers, And although he found himself sufficiently strong to take vengeance on his
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  enemies in open war, he considered that it would be safer and more advantageous
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  to outwit them, and for this reason he did not stop the work of
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  reconciliation, and that this might be affected, the Duke concluded a peace with
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  them, in which he confirmed their former covenants. He gave them four thousand
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  ducats at once. He promised not to injure the Bentivogli, and he formed
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  an alliance with Giovanni, and moreover, he would not force them to come
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  personally into his presence unless it pleased them to do so. On the other
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  hand, they promised to restore to him the Duchy of Urbino and other places
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  seized by them, to serve him in all his expeditions, and not to
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  make war against or ally themselves with any one without his permission. This reconciliation
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  being completed, Guido Ubaldo, the Duke of Urbino, again fled to Venice,
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  having first destroyed all the fortresses in his state, because trusting in the
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  people, he did not wish that the fortresses, which he did not think
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  he could defend, should be held by the enemy, since by these means
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  a check would be kept upon his friends. But the Duke Valentino, having
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  completed this convention and dispersed his men throughout the Romani, set out for Imola
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  at the end of November, together with his French men at arms. Thence
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  he went to Cicina, where he stayed some time to negotiate with the envoys
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  of the Vitelli and Orsini, who had assembled with their men in the Duchy
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  of Urbino, as to the enterprise in which they should now take part,
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  but nothing being concluded, Oliverotto da Fermo was sent to propose that if the
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  Duke wished to undertake an expedition against Tuscany, they were ready. If he
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  did not wish it, then they were besieged Sinegalia. To this, the
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  Duke replied that he did not wish to enter into war with Tuscany and thus
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  become hostile to the Florentines, but that he was very willing to proceed against
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  Sinegalia. It happened that not long afterwards the town surrendered, but the fortress
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  would not yield to them, because the Castilan would not give it up to
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  any one but the Duke in person. Therefore, they exhorted him to come
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  there. This appeared a good opportunity to the Duke, as being invited by
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  them, and not going of his own free will, he would awaken no
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  suspicions, and the more to reassure them, he allowed all the french Men
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  Atarmes who were with him in Lombardy to depart, except the one hundred lancers
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  under Monts de Candales, his brother in law. He left Sina about the
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  middle of December and went to Faro, and with the utmost cunning and cleverness,
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  he persuaded the Vitelli and Orsini to wait for him at Sinegalia, pointing
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  out to them that any lack of compliance would cast a doubt upon the sincerity
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  and permanency of the reconciliation, and that he was a man who wished to
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  make use of the arms and counsel of his friends. But Vitelozzo remained very
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  stubborn for the death of his brother warned him that he should not offend a
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  prince and afterwards trust him. Nevertheless, persuaded by Pagolo Orsini, whom the
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  Duke had corrupted with gitts and promises, he agreed to wait upon this.
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  The Duke before his departure from Faro, which was to be on the thirty
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  of the December fifteen. O two communicated his designs to eight of his most
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  trusted followers, among who were Don Michel and the Monseignor Duna, who was
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  afterwards cardinal, and he ordered that as soon as Vitelozzo, Pagolo Orsini the
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  Duke de Gravini and Oliverotto should arrive, his followers in pairs, should take
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  them one by one, entrusting certain men to certain pairs, who should entertain
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  them until they reached Sinegalia, nor should they be permitted to leave until they
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  came to the Duke's quarters, where they should be seized. The Duke afterwards
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  ordered all his horsemen and infantry, of which there were more than two thousand
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  cavalry and ten thousand footmen, to assemble by daybreak at the Metro, a
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  river five miles distant from Faro, and await him there. He found himself
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  therefore, on the last day of December at the Metro with his men,
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  and having sent a cavalcade of about two hundred horsemen before him, he then
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  moved forward the infantry, whom he accompanied with the rest of the men at
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  arms. Farno and Sinegalia are two cities of the La Marca, situate on
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  the shore of the Adriatic Sea, fifteen miles distant from each other, so
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  that he who goes toward Sinegalia has the mountains on his right hand, the
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  bases of which are touched by the sea. In some places. The city
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  of Sinegalia is distant from the foot of the mountains little more than a bow
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  shot, and from the shore about a mile. On the side opposite to
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  the city runs a little river which baths that part of the walls looking towards
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  Farno facing the high road, which baths that part of the walls looking toward
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  Farno facing the high road. Thus, he who draws near to Sinegalia comes
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  for a good space by road along the mountains and reaches the river which passes
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  by Sinegalia. If he turns to his left hand along the bank of it
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  and goes for the distance of a bow shot, he arrives at the bridge
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  which crosses the river. He is then almost abreast of the gate that leads
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  into Sinegalia, not by a straight line, but transversely. Before this gate
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  there stands a collection of houses with the square to which the bank of the
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  river forms one side. The Vitelli and Orsini, having received orders to wait
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  for the Duke and to honor him in person, sent away their men to
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  several castles distant from Sinegalia, about six miles, so that room could be
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  made for the men of the Duke, and they left in Sinegalia only Oliverotto
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  and his band, which consisted of one thousand infantry and one hundred and fifty
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  horsemen, who were quartered in the suburb mentioned above. Matters having been thus
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  arranged, the Duke Valentino left for Sinegalia, and when the leaders of the
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  cavalry reached the bridge, they did not pass over, but having opened it,
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  one portion toward the river and the other toward the country, and away
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  was left in the middle, through which the infantry passed without stopping. In
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  the town, Fitialozzo, Pagolo and Duke de Gravina, on mules, accompanied
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  by a few horsemen, went toward the Duke. Fittalozzo, unarmed and wearing
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  a cape lined with green, appeared very dejected, as if conscious of his
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  approaching a circumstance which, in view of the ability of the man and his
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  former fortune, caused some amazement. And it is said that when he parted
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  from his men before setting out for Senegalia to meet the Duke, he acted
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  as if it were his last. Parting from them. He recommended his house
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  and its fortunes to his captains, and advised his nephews that it was not
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  the fortune of their house, but the virtues of their fathers that should be
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  kept in mind. These three therefore came before the Duke and saluted him respectfully,
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  and were received by him with good will. They were at once placed
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  between those who had commissioned to look after them. But the Duke, noticing
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  that Oliverotto, who had remained with his band in Saint Negalia, was missing,
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  for Oliverotto was waiting in the square before his quarters near the river,
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  keeping his men in order and drilling them, signaled with his eye to Don
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  Michel, to whom the care of oliver Otto had been committed, that it
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  should take measures that Oliverotto should not escape. Therefore, Don Michel rode off
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  and joined Oliverotto, telling him that it was not right to keep his men
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  out of their quarters, because these might be taken up by the men of
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  the Duke, and he advised him to send them at once to their quarters
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  and to come himself to meet the Duke. And Oliverotto, having taken this
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  advice, came before the Duke, who, when he saw him, called
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  to him, and Oliverotto, having made his obeisience, joined the others,
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  so the whole party entered Sinegalia, dismounted at the Duke's quarters, and went
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  with him into a secret chamber, where the Duke made them prisoners. He
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  then mounted on horseback and issued orders that the men of Oliverotto and the Orsini
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  should be stripped of their arms. Those of Oliverotto, being at hand,
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  were quickly settled, but those of the Orsini and Vitelli, being at a
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  distance and having a presentiment of the destruction of their masters, had time to
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  prepare themselves. And bearing in mind the valor and discipline of the Orsinian and
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  Vitalian houses, they stood together against the hostile forces of the country and saved
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  themselves. But the Duke's soldiers, not being content with having pillaged the men
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  of Oliverotto, began to saxe Inegalia, and if the Duke had not repressed
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  this outrage by killing some of them, they would have completely sacked it.
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  Night having come and the tumult being silenced, the Duke prepared to kill Vitelozzo
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  and Oliverotto. He led them in a room and caused them to be strangled.
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  Neither of them used words. In keeping with their past lives. Bittelotto
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  prayed that he might ask of the Pope full pardon for his sins. Oliverotto
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  cringed and laid the blame for all injuries against the Duke on Vitelozzo, Pagolo
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  and the Duke de Gravino Orsini were kept alive until the Duke heard from Rome
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  that the Pope had taken the Cardinal Orsino, the Archbishop of Florence, and
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  Messa Jacopo de Santa Croce, after which news on eighteenth of January fifteen o
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  two, in the castle of Pievre, they also were strangled in the same
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  way. End of section