Italian Renaissance Utopias by Antonio Donato

Author:Antonio Donato
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030036119
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

21Upon an initial investigation, Zuccolo’s criticism seems completely unfair since More devoted an entire section of Utopia to military practices (Utopia, 200.18–217.27), as De Mattei observed (De Mattei , La Repubblica, 152–153). However, a careful examination reveals a different picture. More does not discuss military and strategic matters; his analysis is mostly a contribution to the debate on the “just war theory,” that is, the study of the cases in which a state may be justified to go to war against another. More also examines the Utopians’ practice of using mercenaries in much detail, but he does not address any issue concerning the composition, training, and equipment of the military. His occasional, superficial remarks on how the military functions betray his disinterest for the topic: he casually mentions that the Utopians “train very intensely” (Utopia, 200.20–22) and “invent war machines” (Utopia, 21.26–28). By contrast, in Italian Renaissance political philosophy, the analysis of military matters is of critical importance. Throughout his works, Machiavelli argued very vehemently that the study of the rules and discipline of war is an integral and essential part of politics—he went as far as to claim that war is the “sole” art that a ruler needs to master. It is, thus, not surprising that the discussion of military issues plays a pivotal role in many Italian utopias. In The Happy City (ch. IX), Patrizi formulates a thorough examination of military equipment, strategies, weapons, and tactics. In the COS, Campanella offers a detailed and very imaginative catalog of the war machines and weapons invented by the Solarians (COS, 29.608–31.656). In The Republic of Evandria, Zuccolo dedicates much attention to the organization of the military of his utopian state. A contemporary reader could contend that Zuccolo’s criticism is not justified since a utopia does not necessarily need to examine military matters in advanced ways; however, an Italian Renaissance political thinker such as Zuccolo was bound to find More’s analysis insufficient.

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