ABSTRACT
Machiavelli came back from France sure of two things: that there would be a great war between the Pope and the King, and that the Florentines would be involved in it in spite of themselves. So it is not surprising that his first thoughts were military ones. His basic conviction was that battles are won by the infantry, but he knew that they could also be fought with cavalry, and since his militia had no cavalry, he devoted his attention to persuading the Gonfalonier and the Ten to make a new provision for them. He was not thinking of heavy cavalry; it was to be light horse, armed with guns and crossbows, which could be drawn from the people of the Tuscan countryside.
