Francesco Guicciardini, having distinguished himself in the …

Years: 1517 - 1517

Francesco Guicciardini, having distinguished himself in the practice of law, had been entrusted by the Signoria, the highest Florentine magistracy with an embassy to the court of the King of Aragon, Ferdinand the Catholic, in 1512.

He had doubts about accepting the position because it came with so little profit and would disrupt his law practice and take him away from the city.

However, Francesco's father had persuded him of the court’s prestige and the honor of having been chosen at so young an age.

Thus Guicciardini started his career as a diplomat and statesman.

His Spanish correspondence with the Signoria reveals his power of observation and analysis, a chief quality of his mind.

At the Spanish court, he learned lessons of political realism.

In his letters back home, he expressed appreciation for being able to observe Spanish military methods and estimate their strength during the time of war.

However, he also distrusted the calculated gestures of Ferdinand and referred to him as a model of the art of political deceit.

The Medici during his time in Spain had regained power in Florence.

His embassy in Spain under the new regime had dragged on, frustrating Guicciardini as he yearned to return to Florence and participate in its political life.

Guicciardini had insisted on being recalled and even sent a letter to the youthful Lorenzo de’ Medici in an attempt to secure a position in the new ruling group.

Guicciardini had eventually returned home to Florence, where he took up his law practice again; in 1514, he served as a member of the Otto di Balìa, who controlled internal security, and in 1515, he served on the Signoria.

Giovanni de' Medici, the son of Lorenzo the Magnificent, had in 1513 become Pope Leo X and brought Florence under papal control, which has provided opportunities for Florentines to enter papal service, as did Francesco in 1515.

Leo X has made him governor of Reggio in 1516 and Modena in 1517.

This is the beginning of a long career for Guicciardini in papal administration, first under Leo X and then under his successor, Clement VII.

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