In the dedication of the 1589 edition of
The Reason of State, Botero states his determined opposition to
Machiavellianism, to which he traces the corruption of 16th century political discourse. However, Botero does adopt some aspects of Machiavelli's thought. For instance, in 1590 Botero added a chapter that advocates all European states join the Republic of Venice in a campaign to oust the Ottoman Empire from Europe. This appeal mirrors Machiavelli's own call to drive all foreigners out of Italy at the end of
The Prince. Botero also expands upon Machiavelli's idea that men, not money, are more important for preserving a political regime. Where for Machiavelli men are crucial as soldiers, Botero proclaims that both a regime's population and its martial abilities are the most crucial resources at a ruler's disposal.
The Reason of State Botero states his intention to bring to light the surreptitious discussions of "reasons of state" common in European courts, which were frequently influenced by Niccolò Machiavelli's political thought. To Machiavelli's instrumental, immoral principles, Botero presents an opposing Christian reason of state, in which statesmen are responsible before God and their conscience. He rejects any reasons of state which consistently transgress God's laws. In stark contrast to Machiavelli, Botero embraces Christianity and the Roman Catholic Church:
Botero and religious toleration Botero asserts that piety, religion and the Church (i.e. Roman Catholicism) are indispensable to any valid reasons of state, and he considers the Church to be the foundation of virtuous behavior in both the rulers and the ruled. He perceives Islam and
Protestant Christianity as threats both to the Church and to good governance in Europe. Botero believes that a political regime's religious heterogeneity will lead to civil war, as
occurred in many European countries of his day. He suggests that Christian rulers promote uniformity of belief by levying special taxes upon religious dissenters and new denominations, and prohibiting them from public speaking and assembly, or bearing arms. He advocates that in extreme cases, Christian rulers should uproot and transport entire populations of religious dissenters, similar to the policies of the contemporary Ottoman Empire against religious minorities and of the ancient Assyrian Empire
against Israel.
Botero on demography Botero's work ended with a treatise,
Delle Cause della Grandezza della Città (On the Causes of the Greatness of Cities). He weighs the causes of the growth of cities along the same lines as
Seneca, and anticipates much of the theory of
Malthus. He shows that emigration to colonies does not depopulate the mother countries, and he investigates the general circumstances which limit and determine the growth of cities.
Botero on the limits of the power of the kings According to Botero, royal power has moral limits. Relying on
Aquinas and the
School of Salamanca, he maintains that the people entrust their king with certain powers to ensure the common defense and prosperity: "A people must bestow upon their ruler such powers as are necessary for him maintain laws among them and defend them against the violence of their enemies." == Notes ==