Revisiting Tacitus, Machiavelli and Botero

Summary

Dedicated to Prince Teodósio, heir to the throne, Suma política conveys a regalist understanding of kingship – that is, one advocating the sovereign’s total control over government matters. This included regarding politics as essentially a power struggle: Meneses praises executive action and pragmatism as qualities of good rulers; and accepts dissimulation, concealment and secrecy as tools to be used by the ruler. He also advises the prince to regard his vassals not as friendly collaborators, but as potential enemies and threats, one of the reasons why he insists that the ruler must have a thorough knowledge of his vassals. Apart from being cunning, the prince should be an extremely calculating person (instead of believing in the natural good inclination of all human beings, as Catholicism taught).