Guicciardini

Guicciardini, Francesco (1482-1540), an Italian writer and statesman, was a native of Florence, where he was in early life a professor of law. He won his reputation as a diplomatist by his mission to Bruges in 1512, and in 1518 was named governor of Modena and Reggio. In 1521 he drove the French from Parma, and was subsequently governor of that state, the Romagna, and Bologna. In 1534 he left the Papal service, and began to take part in the affairs of Florence, where he took a leading part in the restoration of the Medici and was a member of the Commission of Twelve. From 1534 till his death he withdrew from public business and devoted himself to the composition of his Storia d'Italia, which described the course of affairs between 1494 and 1532 in a critical spirit, but in a prolix style. His Maxims have been more popular.