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Books by Hillay Zmora
The World of Machiavelli explores his teaching by placing it squarely in its political and intell... more The World of Machiavelli explores his teaching by placing it squarely in its political and intellectual context. Based on a wide range of personal letters, diplomatic dispatches and administrative memoranda as well as on his treatises, plays and poems, it traces the development of his skills, mental habits and unique views from his youth, through his turbulent public career, to his last days. Alongside the formative historical and personal circumstances, the book explores the universal dimensions of Machiavelli’s thought, which forms an integral part of an ongoing conversation about our ability to organize our shared lives and shape our destiny. Thus, The World of Machiavelli differs from most biographies and studies of his thought: focusing on a cluster of themes that are central both in his works and in our modern public life, the book invites the readers to reflect on major issues of our time by engaging with Machiavelli.
The practice of feuding amongst noblemen and princes represented a substantial threat to law and ... more The practice of feuding amongst noblemen and princes represented a substantial threat to law and order, yet it was widely accepted and deeply embedded in late medieval and early modern German society. Hillay Zmora offers a new interpretation of this violent social practice, which has long confounded historians and social scientists. His groundbreaking study explains feud violence in its social context, demonstrating that, paradoxically, nobles feuded mostly not against strangers but with neighbours, relatives and their feudal lords. Focusing on the ambivalent relationships and symbolic communication between nobles, this study explores how values, norms and moral sentiments linked to reciprocity provided the most powerful incentives to engage in violent conflict. It will be essential reading for historians, anthropologists, psychologists and anyone who seeks to understand the link between culture, moral systems and endemic violence.
Monarchy, Aristocracy and the State in Europe 1300 - 1800 is an important survey of the relations... more Monarchy, Aristocracy and the State in Europe 1300 - 1800 is an important survey of the relationship between monarchy and state in early modern European history. Spanning five centuries and covering England, France, Spain, Germany and Austria, this book considers the key themes in the formation of the modern state in Europe.
The relationship of the nobility with the state is the key to understanding the development of modern government in Europe. In order to understand the way modern states were formed, this book focusses on the implications of the incessant and costly wars which European governments waged against each other, which indeed propelled the modern state into being.
Monarchy, Aristocracy and the State in Europe 1300-1800 takes a fascinating thematic approach, providing a useful survey of the position and role of the nobility in the government of states in early modern Europe.
One of the most striking features of late medieval and early modern German was the countless feud... more One of the most striking features of late medieval and early modern German was the countless feuds carried out by nobles. A constant threat to law and order, these feuds have commonly been regarded as a manifestation of the decline - economic and otherwise - of the nobility. This study shows that the nobility was not in crisis at this time. Nor were feuds merely banditry by another name. Rather, they were the result of an interplay between two fundamental processes: princely state-building, and social stratification among the nobility. Offering a new paradigm for understanding the German nobility, this book argues that the development of the state made proximity to princes the single most decisive factor in determining the fortune of a family. The result was a violent competition among the nobility over resources which were crucial to the princes. Feuds played a central role in this struggle that eventually led to the formation of an elite of noble families on whose power and wealth the princely state depended.
Edited books by Hillay Zmora
Papers by Hillay Zmora
Evolution and Human Behavior, 2020
Feuding was a near-universal phenomenon, and a classic topic of anthropology and sociology. This ... more Feuding was a near-universal phenomenon, and a classic topic of anthropology and sociology. This article focuses on feuding among nobles in early modern Germany. The German noble feud assumed characteristics that differentiated it from vendetta. It developed into a distinct institution in terms of its legal status, methods and social conditions. It presents a puzzle: most feuds punctuated ongoing relationships between people who were closely related and socially and economically interdependent. Nobles tended to feud against the very people from whose goodwill they had much to gain and from whose enmity much to lose. Examining it from an evolutionary perspective suggests an answer to a problem that traditional historical approaches have not convincingly explained. The article argues that the same dense web of ties that facilitated cooperation between nobles generated violent conflicts between them. Reputation played a crucial role in this environment. Feuds are best seen as mechanisms of costly signaling one's underlying qualities and commitment to aristocratic values.
Glory in Machiavelli is an ultimate value. Despite its conceptual centrality, his notion of glory... more Glory in Machiavelli is an ultimate value. Despite its conceptual centrality, his notion of glory has received relatively little scholarly attention. This article seeks to go beyond the common interpretation that Machiavelli conceived of glory as a means to harmonize man's inexorable selfish ambition with the public interest. It addresses the theoretically prior question of why Machiavelli expected that the uncertain hopes for glory would prevail over more immediate human appetites and thus serve the construction of a good political order. The article argues that Machiavelli presented the human world as miserable yet simultaneously denied mankind any outlet by systematically severing the threads with which men sought to connect to eternity. Foreclosing in particular the Christian promise of afterlife , Machiavelli impresses upon the capable few the only path (he leaves open) towards transcending a degraded world: the path to immortal glory. The human condition thus serves as the basis for dealing with the fundamental political problem.
The World of Machiavelli explores his teaching by placing it squarely in its political and intell... more The World of Machiavelli explores his teaching by placing it squarely in its political and intellectual context. Based on a wide range of personal letters, diplomatic dispatches and administrative memoranda as well as on his treatises, plays and poems, it traces the development of his skills, mental habits and unique views from his youth, through his turbulent public career, to his last days. Alongside the formative historical and personal circumstances, the book explores the universal dimensions of Machiavelli’s thought, which forms an integral part of an ongoing conversation about our ability to organize our shared lives and shape our destiny. Thus, The World of Machiavelli differs from most biographies and studies of his thought: focusing on a cluster of themes that are central both in his works and in our modern public life, the book invites the readers to reflect on major issues of our time by engaging with Machiavelli.
The practice of feuding amongst noblemen and princes represented a substantial threat to law and ... more The practice of feuding amongst noblemen and princes represented a substantial threat to law and order, yet it was widely accepted and deeply embedded in late medieval and early modern German society. Hillay Zmora offers a new interpretation of this violent social practice, which has long confounded historians and social scientists. His groundbreaking study explains feud violence in its social context, demonstrating that, paradoxically, nobles feuded mostly not against strangers but with neighbours, relatives and their feudal lords. Focusing on the ambivalent relationships and symbolic communication between nobles, this study explores how values, norms and moral sentiments linked to reciprocity provided the most powerful incentives to engage in violent conflict. It will be essential reading for historians, anthropologists, psychologists and anyone who seeks to understand the link between culture, moral systems and endemic violence.
Monarchy, Aristocracy and the State in Europe 1300 - 1800 is an important survey of the relations... more Monarchy, Aristocracy and the State in Europe 1300 - 1800 is an important survey of the relationship between monarchy and state in early modern European history. Spanning five centuries and covering England, France, Spain, Germany and Austria, this book considers the key themes in the formation of the modern state in Europe.
The relationship of the nobility with the state is the key to understanding the development of modern government in Europe. In order to understand the way modern states were formed, this book focusses on the implications of the incessant and costly wars which European governments waged against each other, which indeed propelled the modern state into being.
Monarchy, Aristocracy and the State in Europe 1300-1800 takes a fascinating thematic approach, providing a useful survey of the position and role of the nobility in the government of states in early modern Europe.
One of the most striking features of late medieval and early modern German was the countless feud... more One of the most striking features of late medieval and early modern German was the countless feuds carried out by nobles. A constant threat to law and order, these feuds have commonly been regarded as a manifestation of the decline - economic and otherwise - of the nobility. This study shows that the nobility was not in crisis at this time. Nor were feuds merely banditry by another name. Rather, they were the result of an interplay between two fundamental processes: princely state-building, and social stratification among the nobility. Offering a new paradigm for understanding the German nobility, this book argues that the development of the state made proximity to princes the single most decisive factor in determining the fortune of a family. The result was a violent competition among the nobility over resources which were crucial to the princes. Feuds played a central role in this struggle that eventually led to the formation of an elite of noble families on whose power and wealth the princely state depended.
Evolution and Human Behavior, 2020
Feuding was a near-universal phenomenon, and a classic topic of anthropology and sociology. This ... more Feuding was a near-universal phenomenon, and a classic topic of anthropology and sociology. This article focuses on feuding among nobles in early modern Germany. The German noble feud assumed characteristics that differentiated it from vendetta. It developed into a distinct institution in terms of its legal status, methods and social conditions. It presents a puzzle: most feuds punctuated ongoing relationships between people who were closely related and socially and economically interdependent. Nobles tended to feud against the very people from whose goodwill they had much to gain and from whose enmity much to lose. Examining it from an evolutionary perspective suggests an answer to a problem that traditional historical approaches have not convincingly explained. The article argues that the same dense web of ties that facilitated cooperation between nobles generated violent conflicts between them. Reputation played a crucial role in this environment. Feuds are best seen as mechanisms of costly signaling one's underlying qualities and commitment to aristocratic values.
Glory in Machiavelli is an ultimate value. Despite its conceptual centrality, his notion of glory... more Glory in Machiavelli is an ultimate value. Despite its conceptual centrality, his notion of glory has received relatively little scholarly attention. This article seeks to go beyond the common interpretation that Machiavelli conceived of glory as a means to harmonize man's inexorable selfish ambition with the public interest. It addresses the theoretically prior question of why Machiavelli expected that the uncertain hopes for glory would prevail over more immediate human appetites and thus serve the construction of a good political order. The article argues that Machiavelli presented the human world as miserable yet simultaneously denied mankind any outlet by systematically severing the threads with which men sought to connect to eternity. Foreclosing in particular the Christian promise of afterlife , Machiavelli impresses upon the capable few the only path (he leaves open) towards transcending a degraded world: the path to immortal glory. The human condition thus serves as the basis for dealing with the fundamental political problem.
Machiavelli put a premium on patriotism. But the notion of love of country, with the altruism and... more Machiavelli put a premium on patriotism. But the notion of love of country, with the altruism and self-sacrifice it presupposes, is at first glance irreconcilable with the inexorable anthropological pessimism that informs his political theory. Was Machiavelli egregiously inconsistent? The question has a fundamental bearing on his political teaching. Examining Machiavelli's concepts of human nature and patriotism within his overall view of politics, society and history, this paper argues that he conceived of patriotism primarily in terms of readiness to self-restraint rather than readiness to self-sacrifice. Patriotism in Machiavelli is a force passive and limited enough to conform with human nature. By the same token, patriotism thrives in a political unit when the selfish passions that thwart it are satisfied, and they are best satisfied at the expense of other political units. Thus, patriotism in Machiavelli partakes of wicked human nature. But precisely for this reason it can offset some of human nature's destructive elements and help men to attain social ends. Machiavelli's patriotism, in the end, offers a redemption of sorts.