Niccol Machiavelli

The Prince (1532)Machiavelli's The Prince is a practical guide to tyrannical ruling (although some scholars argue the book is a satire). It is among the first works of modern political philosophy, describing a world in which the effective truth is taken to be more important than an abstract ideal. It is dedicated to Lorenzo de' Medici, the ruler of Florence, and written in a simple style. Its main themes are: politics, war craft, and popular goodwill. The first chapter defines types of principalities and princes, providing an outline for the remainder of the work. Chapter III describes how to maintain composite principalities - either newly created or annexed from another. From Chapters IV-XIV, Machiavelli offers advice on routes to power, how to acquire and hold new states, how to deal with internal insurrection, alliances, and maintaining a strong military.

With the Art of War

The Prince

Dragan Nikolic

Ninian Hill Thomson

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was an Italian historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He was for many years an official in the Florentine Republic, with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs. He was a founder of modern political science, and more specifically political ethics. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry. His personal correspondence is renowned in the Italian language. He was Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512, when the Medici were out of power. He wrote his masterpiece, The Prince, after the Medici had recovered power and he no longer held a position of responsibility in Florence."Machiavellianism" is a widely used negative term to characterize unscrupulous politicians of the sort Machiavelli described in The Prince. The book itself gained enormous notoriety and wide readership because the author seemed to be endorsing behavior often deemed as evil and immoral.

Niccol Machiavelli

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