GUICCIARDINI, gwe'char-delne, FRANCESCO (1483-1540). An Italian statesman and his torian, born of noble parentage at Florence. The studies of law and literature engrossed his ear liest attention, and before he reached the age of twenty-three he was elected professor of law- by the signoria of Florence. His knowledge of in ternational law and his tact in the conduct of public affairs caused him to be selected in 1512 by the signoria as Ambassador to the Court of Ferdinand, King of Aragon. During a period of two years he discharged his diplomatic duties with ability. In 1515 he was dispatched by the Republic of Florence to receive at Cortona Pope Leo X. This pontiff at once secured Guicciar dini's services, and committed to him the govern ment of Modena and Reggio, and finally of Parma. Under Clement VII. he was for some years gov ernor of the Romagna, and finally of Bologna. On the accession of Paul III. (1534), Guicciar dini resigned all his dignities, and returned to Florence, where Alexander de' Medici had been made sovereign by Charles V. On the assassina tion of Alexander, Guicciardini promoted materi ally the elevation of Cosimo de' Medici ; but meet ing with no special favor from that prince, he from Florence to his villa at Arcetri, where he commenced his famous work La storia d'Italia, the greatest historical work of the six teenth century. He died before its completion. In 1561, twenty-one years after his death, the first sixteen books of his history were published at Florence, and three years later, at Venice, four additional books appeared. The work is considered
a standard of classical historical writing, inde pendently of its value as a minute and faithful record of the period it embraces, from 1490 to 1534. A magnificent Italian edition was pub lished at Freiburg (1775-76), and another at Pisa in 1819, edited by Rosini. An earlier work than the Storia d'Italia was the Storia fiorentina, composed about 1509, and dealing with the his tory of Florence from 1378 to 1509; it is marked by an impartial and keenly searching spirit. In 1857-67 there appeared at Florence Opere inedite di Francesco Guiceiardini, comprising: Ccrasidera zioni intorno ai discorsi del Machiavelli, Hicordi politici e civili—Discorsi politici (vol. i.) ; Del regg-iinento di Firenze, Discorsi intorno elle 11.I tazioni e riforme del governo fiorentino (+Pot ii.) ; Storia fiorentina (vol. iii.) ; Lettere e istruzioni scritte durante la luogotenenza generale per it Papa Clemente VII. (vols. iv., v.) ; Carteg gio, 1512-34 (vols. vi.-ix.) ; Ricordi autobiografici e di famiglia, scritti vari (vol. x.).
Consult: Benoist, Guichardin, historien et homme d'etat (Paris, 1862) ; Gioda, Guicciardini e le sue opere inedite (Bologna, 1880) ; Rossi, Francesco Guicciardini e it governo fiorentino dal 1527 al 1540 (Bologna, 1896) ; Zanoni, Vita publica di Francesco Guicciardini (Bologna, 1896).