Hello @sal :)

I answer your questions below:

1. Charles Martel. He reunified and fortified France, was a fierce leader in battles, and was in fact...from Belgium.

2. Yes, but I think it's more interesting to do the opposite: to judge today with the past's lens. I'd be much more interested to know what Machiavelli would say about our society today than I am interested in whatever intellectual today would say about Machiavelli's times.

My user name is @auresnotes

Thx!