Events

Past Event

Columbia University Seminar in the Renaissance: William Connell (Seton Hall University) "The Secretary’s Last Rites: Machiavelli on His Deathbed."

May 10, 2022
4:00 PM - 6:15 PM
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Zoom

For more than a century after the death of Niccolò Machiavelli in 1527 there circulated throughout Europe conflicting accounts of the man’s statements as he died and his behavior on his deathbed.  These resulted in controversies that have continued into our own time regarding his perceived impiety as well as the criticisms of the Christian religion that are found in his written texts, including The Prince and the Discourses on Livy.  This talk presents new evidence concerning a forged letter describing Machiavelli’s passing, and the nature of his deathbed confession, while shedding light on the manner in which he died, the disposition of his remains, and (possibly) the state of his soul.

If you would like to attend the meeting, we kindly ask that you fill out the RSVP form linked to below by rather than responding to us by email.

Click here to RSVP

Those who respond will then automatically receive a Zoom invitation by email shortly after.

You do not need to own the software Zoom since you will be invited through the link. (We recommend opening the link 5-10 minutes before 4:00 PM that afternoon.) You must turn on your computer's speaker system when joining. You will then discover two buttons to the lower left of the bottom Zoom task bar that allow you to join aurally and visually.

As has become our new custom, we will stipulate an ending time of 6:15 PM, which will allow for a few minutes of informal conversation over a virtual toast of wine (BYOW).  Everything will be aural and visual, including the PowerPoint slides.  You can participate with or without your own camera on (or with it covered with tape, if you prefer). During the talk, we will ask everyone to "mute" their microphone (if you have not taken part before, how to do this will be made clear once we're all in the Zoom meeting).

Again, please be sure to respond at this link if you plan to attend. If you require additional assistance, feel free to reach out to Mackenzie Fox at [email protected].