r/todayilearned • u/Ainsley-Sorsby • 3d ago

TIL Part of N.Machiavelli's diplomatic mission to Cesare Borgia included sending intel back to his government, even down to Borgia's personal habits. He noticed that he had inhuman energy and could go several nights working sleepless but occasionaly would "fall to his bed" and refuse to see anyone

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cesare_Borgia#Personal_life
9.5k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

130 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

233

u/Ok_Peak_9395 2d ago

Hard worker doesn’t equal “inexhaustible energy” lol

113

u/Ainsley-Sorsby 2d ago

Yeah, going through Machiavelli's reports themselves, i havn't seen any direct observations yet, but he describes stuff like this:

Your Lordships will have learned from my letter of the 5th that the Duke had gone to Salarolo to confer with those French gentlemen. During his absence I received yours of the 5th. His Excellency returned late yesterday evening, and today, after having reviewed the Swiss, who begin to arrive, he could not give me an audience until the first hour of the night. https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/detmold-the-historical-political-and-diplomatic-writings-vol-3

and later, on the same report:

About two hours after this conversation with the Duke an agent of the Bentivogli came to me and told me that he had just had an audience from the Duke, and that shortly after my leaving the court the ratification of the treaty arrived; but that the Duke was nevertheless anxious to conclude a separate treaty with Bologna, and that he had commissioned him at once to send a messenger to the Protonotario to have him come here immediately. He has not yet arrived, having injured one of his toes.

so basically he describes someone who, the day after a long trip, had a full schedule until 1AM, and even two hours later, he was still busy talking to people and dispatching messengers. I would say that definitely tracks as an indication of having ubnormal levels of energy, lol

45

u/GingerCraig 2d ago

first hour of the night.

that does not mean 1AM , it's probably 8 or maybe 9pm. Also travel for the well-to-do has never been an exhausting undertaking. nothing in this seems overtly abnormal

17

u/ITividar 2d ago

My 30 min drive to work (20 miles) is what they could cover in a good day by land. Pretty sure no matter your status, travel was exhausting and long.

-1

u/GingerCraig 2d ago

long certainly. Exhausting will largely differ by status and method. if you're sitting in a carriage it;s just boring not "exhausting"

23

u/ITividar 2d ago

Spend all day on horseback, see if you're not exhausted. Or spend all day traveling in a carriage without suspension, feeling every bump in the road. Super not exhausting being tossed about, yeah?

22

u/DistrictOpen3163 2d ago

or 10 hours on a plane...you aren't doing anything, but it's absolutely exhausting

2

u/GingerCraig 2d ago

lol indeed. hence my "status and method" , upfront on a plane for 10 hours is most perfectly fine; in th eback of the same plane , yeah, exhausting probably starts as i put my seatbelt on :)

1

u/DistrictOpen3163 2d ago

i wish they'd let me upfront :( always tryna' charge me for it

2

u/nathtendo 1d ago

Spend 3 days on an all inclusive cruise to get across the lake, see how tired you are.

1

u/GingerCraig 2d ago

Sure but in this very context, it's Imola to Salarolo and back so about 25ish km (15ish miles?) which on horseback would be 4-5 hours chill . long but not all day in an unsuspended cart. and still certainly not "Exhausting"