Great Rulers and What Makes Them Successful Essay

Great Rulers and What Makes Them Successful What makes a great ruler? Several great powers in history including Cyrus of Persia, T’ai-tsung, the Duke of Valentine, and Agathocles will be analyzed in order to attempt to answer this question. Based on three readings, these questions will be answered: 1. What are the personal qualities of Cyrus and T’ai-tsung? What is it about these personal qualities that made them successful rulers? 2. How does Machiavelli portray the Duke of Valentine and Agathocles? Does he consider them good or bad rulers? Why? 3. Compare and contrast Machievelli’s concept of an effective ruler with the depictions of Cyrus and T’ai-tsung. 4. Which ruler do you†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Everyone agrees that he was absolutely remarkable for doing services to those whom he made friends of and knew to be true to him and considered able to help him in doing whatever job was on hand†, and â€Å"Of course it is well known that he treated with exceptional distinction all those who showed ability for war† (Xenophon, 41). This was great motivation for his subordinates to do good deeds and work hard. Cyrus always had a powerful army too, â€Å"there was never any lack of people who were willing to risk their lives when they thought that Cyrus would get to know of it† (Xenophon, 41). â€Å"Consequently it was said that Cyrus got the best officers for any kind of job† (Xenophon, 41). He was very generous to the friends he held dear to him. When doing favors for friends he considered â€Å"what each individual was like and what, to his knowledge, he needed most† (Xenophon, 41). Th is showed he cared about his friends. Cyrus picked very reliable people, â€Å"For when he died every one of his friends and table-companions died fighting for him† (Xenophon, 41). Overall, people wanted to please Cyrus. His subordinates were not scared by harsh punishments into doing their duty, yet motivated to do it very well. These combinations of Cyrus’s personality made him a person people wanted to impress and gain respect from. Emporor T’ai-tsung also had unique qualities which made him a successfulShow MoreRelatedMachiavellian Rulers Are Focused on War in Machiavelli’s The Prince1077 Words   |  5 PagesMachiavelli’s â€Å"The Prince† brought up some controversial characteristics on what a Machiavellian ruler is. The characteristic that was most stressed was that â€Å"A prince must have no other objective, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war.†(Machiavelli 37). With a main focus on the art of war a ruler can protect the state he governs from attacks against him and his state. 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