MechanismAudio · 47:57 — 49:27
When Cesare Borgia conquered a city and massacred its ruling family, he became beloved by ordinary people because, as a neutral outsider with no local factional ties, he administered fair justice for the first time in generations — even though his rule was built on terror.
Ada Palmer explains the paradox of Cesare Borgia's popularity: by wiping out entrenched ruling families and having no local factional allegiance, his regime delivered neutral justice that ordinary people—long subject to justice skewed by whichever faction held power—experienced as fairness for the first time. ✦ AI generated
Ada Palmer · Dwarkesh Podcast · 2026-06-16 · original ↗
plays this moment only · 47:57 — 49:27
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“So what had to happen for things to get more stable?”
As a result, to everyone’s surprise, he moves into a city, he massacres the rulers, he implements an authoritarian regime, and he’s incredibly popular and beloved by the people. Everyone says, “Why are they liking this man? He is a cruel, murdering tyrant.” The answer is, for the first time in generations, they have something close to fair justice.
verbatim transcript · starts at 47:57
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47:57– Cesare Borgia brought terror to rulers and justice to the people
47:57– Cesare Borgia brought terror to rulers and justice to the people
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