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Bruce Ivar Gudmundsson

Jan 04, 2023

This page provides easy access to the articles from the Walls of Florence series that feature substantial quotations from writings of Niccolò Machiavelli or Francesco Guicciardini.

The Tactical Notebook

The Walls of Florence

“Maestro Buonarroti, please accept my congratulations. The government of our beloved Republic of Florence has named you Director of Fortifications. You know well our situation and have, no doubt, already read the memorandum left by your predecessor, Signor Machiavelli of blessed memory. Pray tell, Maestro, what are your plans for the improvement of t…

2 years ago · 1 like · 2 comments · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

The Cannon of Charles VIII

"But now the French brought a much handier engine, made of brass, called 'cannon', which they charged with heavy iron balls, much larger than those of stone, made use of heretofore, and drove them with horses, not with oxen, so as to keep pace with the army. These were planted against the walls of a town, with great…

2 years ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

Auxiliary Forces

“Charles VII , the father of King Louis XI , having by good fortune and valor liberated France from the English, recognized the necessity of being armed with forces of his own, and he established in his kingdom ordinances concerning men-at-arms and infantry. Afterwards his son, King Louis, abolished the infantry and began to enlist the Swiss, which mist…

2 years ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

One's Own Forces

“I conclude, therefore, that no principality is secure without having its own forces; on the contrary, it is entirely dependent on good fortune, not having the valor which in adversity would defend it. And it has always been the opinion and judgment of wise men that nothing can be so uncertain or unstable as fame or power not founded on its own strength…

2 years ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

“I say, therefore, that the arms with which a prince defends his state are either his own, or they are mercenaries, auxiliaries, or mixed. Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous; and if one holds his state based on these arms, he will stand neither firm nor safe; for they are disunited, ambitious and without discipline, unfaithful, valian…

2 years ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

Mercenary Leaders

“The mercenary captains are either capable men or they are not; if they are, you cannot trust them, because they always aspire to their own greatness, either by oppressing you, who are their master, or others contrary to your intentions; but if the captain is not skillful, you are ruined in the usual way…

2 years ago · 1 like · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

Hunting on Horseback

“As regards action, he ought above all things to keep his men well organized and drilled, to follow incessantly the chase, by which he accustoms his body to hardships, and learns something of the nature of localities, and gets to find out how the mountains rise, how the valleys open out, how the plains lie, and to understand the nature of rivers and mar…

2 years ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

Professional Reading

“But to exercise the intellect the prince should read histories, and study there the actions of illustrious men, to see how they have borne themselves in war, to examine the causes of their victories and defeat, so as to avoid the latter and imitate the former; and above all do as an illustrious man did, who took as an exemplar one who had been praised …

2 years ago · 1 like · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

“The cities of Germany are absolutely free, they own but little country around them, and they yield obedience to the emperor when it suits them, nor do they fear this or any other power they may have near them, because they are fortified in such a way that every one thinks the taking of them by assault would be tedious and difficult, seeing they have pr…

2 years ago · 1 like · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

Machiavelli begins the seventh (and last) book of The Seven Books of the Art of War with the recommendation that builders of fortresses should ‘... make the walls twisted and full of turned recesses; which pattern results in the enemy not being able to approach them, as they will be able to be attacked easily not only from the front, but on the flanks…

2 years ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

“If the walls are made too high, they are excessively exposed to the blows of the artillery; if they are made too low, they are very easily scaled. If you dig ditches (moats) in front of them to make it difficult (to employ) ladders, if it should happen that the enemy fills them the wall becomes prey to the enemy. I believe, therefore, that if you want …

2 years ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

Hasty Inner Walls

“The ditch inside ought to be at least thirty arm lengths [twenty meters] wide and twelve [eight meters] deep, and all the earth that is excavated in making the ditch is thrown toward the city, and is sustained by a wall that is part of the base of the ditch, and extends again as much above the ground, so that a man may take cover behind it: which has t…

2 years ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

The Tactical Notebook

“Opinions are different; for ditches full of water protect you from (subterranean) tunnels, the ditches without water make it more difficult for you to fill them in again. But, considering everything, I would have them without water; for they are more secure, and, as it has been observed that in winter time the ditches ice over, the capture of a city is…

2 years ago · Bruce I. Gudmundsson

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