Simone Luzzatto’s image of the Ideal Prince and the Italian Tradition of Reason of State

The Historical Background of Luzzatto's Political IdeasEarly modern Venice witnessed the production of a rich body of philosophical and historical literature on her political institutions and governmental organisation which is characterized by adherence to the idea of reason of state.This literature had a significant impact on the political thought of Simone Luzzatto, one of the pivotal figures of Renaissance Jewish political thought.This paper intends to investigate more closely how Luzzatto articulates his portrait of the ideal ruler, which constitutes one of the central aspects of his political theory, and how this relates to the antecedent tradition of Medieval Islamic and Jewish political philosophy and reflects the influence of the Italian tradition of "ragion di Stato", especially in the form it took in the political writings of 16th and 17th century Venice.Simone (Simha) Luzzatto (ca.1582-1663) served as a rabbi of Venice's Jewish community for almost 57 years.He was highly esteemed for his erudition and his eloquence and took an active part in the dealings between the Jewish community and Venice's government concerning such matters as charter renewals.His most important work, the Discorso circa il stato degl' hebrei et in particolar dimoranti nell'inclita città di Venetia (Discourse on the condition of the Jews and in particular the inhabitants of the illustrious city of Venice) 1 , was published in Venice in 1638.Its composition was occasioned by the 1630s attacks on Venice's Jewish population and the eminent threat of their expul-

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