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    The Prince: The Original Classic
    The Prince: The Original Classic
    The Prince: The Original Classic
    Ebook175 pages2 hours

    The Prince: The Original Classic

    By Niccolò Machiavelli and Tom Butler-Bowdon

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    THE HANDBOOK FOR LEADERS

    The Prince is often regarded as the first true leadership book. It shocked contemporary readers with its ruthless call for fearless and effective action. With simple prose and straightforward logic Machiavelli's guide still has the power to surprise and inform anyone hoping to make their way in the world.

    This keepsake edition includes an introduction by Tom Butler-Bowdon, drawing out lessons for managers and business leaders, and showing how The Prince remains vital reading for anyone in the realm of business or politics.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherWiley
    Release dateSep 14, 2010
    ISBN9780857080974
    The Prince: The Original Classic
    Author

    Niccolò Machiavelli

    Niccolò Machiavelli was born on 3 May 1469 in Florence during the city-state's peak of greatness under the Medici family. In 1494, the year the Medici were exiled, Machiavelli entered Florentine public service. In 1498 he was appointed Chancellor and Secretary to the Second Chancery. Serving as a diplomat for the republic, Machiavelli was an emissary to some of the most distinguished people of the age. When the Medici were returned to Florence in 1512, Machiavelli was forced into retirement. In the years that followed he devoted himself to literature, producing not only his most famous work, The Prince, but also the Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius (First Decade here means First Ten Books), his Art of War and The History of Florence. In 1527 the Medici were once again expelled from Florence, but before Machiavelli was able once again to secure political office in the city he died on 22 June 1527.

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    Reviews for The Prince

    3.5/5

    27 ratings76 reviews

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    • 4/5

      Oct 27, 2019

      While I understand that his take is controversial, I have to tell you, it makes sense. It's not nice, but it is practical.
    • 3/5

      Apr 1, 2019

      You’ve witnessed it too, or something similar: Your city’s NFL team has a 13-point lead at home with six minutes to go, plus 1st down and possession—should be a sure win, right?—but then they turn over victory to the opponent, losing the game in regulation.It’s stuff like this that Machiavelli just hated. Except that, with Renaissance Italy bedeviled by an absence of NFL teams even the passage of five centuries hasn’t repaired, his annoyance was with princes whose misadventures cause them to blow it when trying to keep power.Machiavelli’s advice? Be prepared to flout fairness. That competitors and coaches should overreach the rules makes sense. It’s impossible to be penalized for an infraction each time. And once the game is over, no NFL victory is ever overturned, no defeat nullified, no team put on probation. So why would a Head Coach repudiate advices given in The Prince? Well, he might repudiate them if he doesn’t mind increasing the risk of losing his head (isn’t that what happens when the head coach is axed?). Otherwise . . .Going beyond the morality of winning at games, there is a fundamental question: Is it virtuous to speak the truth and keep promises? Machiavelli teaches, the editor of my edition advises, that the real or true standard is that no one should keep a promise when by doing so he would diminish his own power and when the conditions which occasioned the promise are gone.That’s troubling. But also brilliant at unveiling much of what is disappointing in political action and discourse to idealistic or more hopeful people. Word is such persons may find a less alienating brand of political thought in Niccoló’s The Discourses.Note on Translation: The Editor of the edition I read, Angelo M. Codevilla, stresses that he made his translation more literal than is the custom to better illustrate how Machiavelli uses language to subvert commonplace ideas about virtue. This seems a good objective but the translation is no easy text—I would not want to read one that’s even a little bit less welcoming.
    • 5/5

      Apr 1, 2019

      A charming tome on military history and the politics around being a good ruler in 16th-century Italy. Not as cut-throat as it's caricatured to be; if anything Machiavelli is simply trying to be cold and analytical about the military victories of his time.
    • 5/5

      Sep 22, 2020

      Review on is 14 checking the result of how it will look like
    • 2/5

      May 29, 2020

      Historically significant but miserable to read. Doubtless it's incredibly brilliant. Unfortunately just in a way that reminds me of everything I hate about humanity.
    • 5/5

      Jan 19, 2025

      For the sake of power

      The point of this book is two-fold. Why do you want power. And what should you do to keep it. There are plenty of books that speak to the ways to win battle. Or how to train soldiers. This book is based around the person who aspires to live a life in power. While the last quarter of the book is dull it does not take away from the rest of it. I dont agree with everything he says but I understand why he said the things he says. The basic principles are all there. So for that this is a great book. The beginning is slow but by the time we get to the meat of it I found it quite an insightful read.
    • 4/5

      Sep 19, 2024

      It's been seven years and fifteen days
      Since I took this book away
      I can read whatever I choose
      But nothing can take away these blues
      'Cause nothing compares
      Nothing compares to you
    • 2/5

      Jun 25, 2024

      Sorry, this made me want to pull my hair out one by one. :(
    • 4/5

      Jan 11, 2020

      This is the ultimate “how-to” book for anyone who wants to rule a country and stay in power for a long time. He states that good arms and good laws make for success, whether one inherits or conquers an area. His examples are drawn from antiquity as well as the Italy of his day. Niccolò Machiavelli wrote this book to get back into favor with the Medici’s who ruled vast parts of Italy at this time; however the book was not widely read until after his death.

      My copy includes an excellent introduction by translator Thomas Bergin, along with footnotes and a bibliography. There is also a map, necessary to those of us unfamiliar with the political divisions of the time.

      I had always assumed that Machiavelli was sneaky, cunning and evil (think the word “machiavellian”) but I don’t think this is really the character of the man. He may have written this to curry favor with the current rulers. That doesn’t make him a bad person.

      Even though The prince doesn’t have examples of a democratic republic, the book is still pertinent today in that good arms and good laws are necessary for peace. The country who does not heed this advice is in trouble! Perhaps this should be required reading for all lawmakers in the world.
    • 3/5

      Nov 5, 2019

      The classic “how to” book for Princes who want to rule the world
    • 3/5

      Apr 5, 2018

      This is an interesting book on Political Philosophy, I think it falls under Realism.
      Machiavelli doesn't want to systematize but simply shares from his experience.
      As I kept reading the book, I had to reflect a lot of the ideas and try to draw conclusions from this world. I think, most of what he says stands True.

      I learnt about power distribution in a political system.
      Machiavelli says if it is concentrated with just one person (King), and people under him are servants, then if the King is toppled, it is easier to maintain the Kingdom in the long run. This reminds me of North Korea, I do not see a long future for it anyway.

      Meanwhile, if there are nobles, barons who share some influence then it will be difficult to maintain if toppled. I was thinking of China, which I used to think has a good political system.
      They do not waste time in election et cetera, however, the disadvantage in Chinese political system is that, if a new political party takes over, they will maintain the whole population under control. Meanwhile, it is difficult in America because the power is distributed differently. I can see how the Founders of America were cautious and knew all systems inside out.

      I was surprised to find that Machiavelli supports people who believe in God for defense (Army) are better. He goes on to say that it is easier to train them as they will be Loyal to you.
      The people who depend only on money will desert you. He says ministries who only think of them are fickle minded, this reminds me of political system of Tamil Nadu. I wonder how long the Government can run? Based on Machiavelli's writings, not long.

      He also talks about weakness of mercenaries, which, I think was one of the causes of downfall –– Roman and Ottoman Empire.
      The Ottoman Empire's Janissaries started to decline in power due to lack of training, corruption.

      The Roman empire started to bring mercenaries from Germanic tribes. There's always a tension between common people and nobles. Machiavelli says, common people are more important and the Prince ought to give them first priority.

      "As the observance of religious rites is the foundation of a republic's greatness, so disrespect for them is the source of its ruin."

      "Where a fear of God is lacking, the state must either fail or be sustained by a fear of the ruler which may substitute for the lack of religion."


    • 2/5

      Jan 18, 2018

      Used for classes and evil essays.
    • 5/5

      Oct 24, 2017

      Thought rereading this might shed some light on the Trump presidency until I realized that there is a crucial difference between realpolitik and realityTVpolitiking.
    • 4/5

      Aug 1, 2017

      A very sharp commentary on the art and business of politics when ruling a nation/people. As it did for previous generations this 16th Century tome has many pertinent pointers for today's would-be establishment elite: however, the pitfalls of power & being consumed by the desire for authority that it also mentions have been neglected by so many ill-equipped & haplessly inadequate Leaders of the 20th/21st centuries it would appear many of them were not concentrating when they read Machiavelli's masterpiece!
    • 3/5

      Dec 28, 2016

      The Prince. Niccolo Machiavelli. 2008. Our book club chose this classic of how to get and keep political power because it was an election year. What surprised several of us was how mild it seemed. We decided we were no longer idealistic and had lived too long to be shocked at what lengths a man in power will go to maintain that power
    • 5/5

      Oct 19, 2016

      It's easy to be a cynic about this book, but there is some very good psychological advice here. Such as, after a victory, make friends with your enemies, and you'll be able to trust them more than your allies, who now that you have won, will be looking to take advantage of you or overthrow you. Your enemies, on the other hand, will be grateful for your mercy.
    • 3/5

      Oct 8, 2016

      The introduction to Italy at the beginning of the book is almost worth more than the book itself. However it is a decent read and one that can happily be chalked off the "must read that one day" list without feeling one has completed a chore.

      The core of the book is somewhat repetitive in that the advice given seems to boil down to a relatively few nuggets, but in some ways that was maybe his point, that no matter the situation the best course of action doesn't vary all that much.

      The biggest surprise to me was how much Italy was a real concept even when the city states and provinces were the methods of governance, I guess I'd always thought it was only when the state was brought together that it really existed, but it was obviously in people minds and, indeed, Machiavelli's dreams.
    • 5/5

      Aug 29, 2016

      It would be absurd to "review" the most important book on politics ever written. Go read it if you haven't already. It is very funny too.
    • 3/5

      Dec 23, 2015

      The reasons why The Prince endures the ages while the rest of Macchiavelli's philosophy gathers dust in the back of an old library warehouse are chiefly 1) it's a really short treatise, and 2) it angries up the blood. The best way by far to get a best-seller is to write anything that pisses everyone off. The drawback is, it confounds the messages of any works that were only meant to be understood in context.
    • 4/5

      Aug 19, 2015

      Am now a Machiavelli groupie. Need to read his alluded to work(s) on Republics STAT. Ah, my first historical crush.

      "Since it is my object to write what shall be useful to whosoever understands it, it seems to me better to follow the real truth of things than an imaginary view of them. For many Republics and Princedoms have been imagined that were never seen or known to exist in reality. And the manner in which we live, and that in which we ought to live, are things so wide asunder, that he who quits the one to betake himself to the other is more likely to destroy than to save himself; since any one who would act up to a perfect standard of goodness in everything, must be ruined among so many who are not good."
    • 4/5

      Aug 4, 2015

      For Christmas, I ordered an mp3 player (Library of Classics) that was pre-loaded with 100 works of classic literature in an audio format. Each work is in the public domain and is read by amateurs, so the quality of the presentation is hit or miss.

      The Prince is a very well-known and controversial work of political theory written by 15th century Florentine Niccolo Machiavelli. The work is famous for advocating a very cynical, manipulative and violent form of governance, but I was somewhat surprised after hearing the work in its relative short entirety by its simplicity and reputation.

      Machiavelli essentially describes the various forms of government in existence at the time and throughout the then history, and comments on the strengths and weaknesses of each. He breaks down these forms by methods of attaining and maintaining power, using many examples at his disposal. He is particularly enamored of the leadership style of Cesare Borgia, the bastard son of Pope Alexander VI.

      In criticizing Machiavelli’s choice of the ideal Prince, one must consider the time and place of his existence. It would be hard to argue against the Renaissance Italian city and Papal states being among the most politically volatile and complicated landscapes to traverse in recorded history. In addition to the feudal Princes of Milan and Florence (among others), the Venetian Republic and the regions nominally under the control of the Vatican, the Kings of France and Spain also showed up frequently in force. Mercenary forces were rampant and alliances and power blocs shifted constantly. If you were not a cynical, crafty, even duplicitous ruler, you likely didn’t last long.

      The work is relatively short and largely simple in its classifications and analysis, making arguments and suggestions that at times seem glaringly obvious, but it must be remembered that this was written in the 15th century and as a collection of political thought and history, was unique for its time. Much of what is contained in the book holds true to this day, though current political constructs make much of Machiavelli’s writing appear politically extreme and his name has become synonymous with a repressive, reactionary, heavy handed and duplicitous style of leadership.

      My version of The Prince also included The Life of Castruccio Castracani of Lucca, also penned by Machiavelli, a very short biography of one of the most well-loved and successful princes of the era.
    • 5/5

      Jun 3, 2015

      I should have read this book (free for Kindle) years ago. Machiavelli's works on ancient history came up frequently in a different book I read recently, and he has been cited in several other books on my lists. Alas, I've now read this work. I find some of the oft-cited passages I hear are somewhat taken out of context.

      The version I read had a brief biographical sketch of Machiavelli, which was helpful. Machiavelli is foremost a historian, so he cites examples of rulers and conflicts both from Florentine and Italian history, the current Ottoman state, Greco-Roman history, and the Bible.

      He starts by looking at the failures of statecraft-- how a monarch can lose a state which he has conquered or inherited. Louis XII was one such object of failure in his aims on Italian provinces. He talks of how one holds a free Republic, you either have to destroy it or make it a tributary while encouraging development of an oligarchy there to maintain defacto control. This seems like it's played out accurately in world history.

      Machiavelli's "it's better to be feared than loved" is in the context of a Prince who takes a territory who was originally not his own. There will likely be unrest, so the advice is to do some large act of cruel suppression up front to quell dissent and then do small acts of benevolence over time to keep the populace pacified. If a ruler drags out the cruelty, he will breed hatred which is the ultimate failure of a monarch. The ruler must appear to be capable of both cruelty and mercy, so that he appeals more broadly, and where possible he should have an underling be the "bad cop" enforcer. It'd be best to be both feared and loved, but you will always have to give one of those up and it's best to give up love. The great projects of history, according to Machiavelli, were done by rulers who were remembered to be mean and not kind.

      It's always a bad idea to rely on foreign mercenaries for your army. Machiavelli marks the decline of Rome with the hiring of Goths to do soldiering at the cost of the Roman army. France was making the same mistake in relying on Swiss mercenaries at the time of his writing. Building fortresses are of no defense when the people hate you.

      A ruler has to be "liberal" in his spending. Games and welfare for the people, benefits for the standing army. This is obviously hard to do unless you're conquering and expropriating-- otherwise you bankrupt your treasury. The Prince gains glory and reputation by accomplishing big tasks-- namely conquering territories and enriching the kingdom.

      The Prince should also seem to be a man of integrity. The great rulers abandon virtue when they have to-- sometimes they have to break their word in order to protect their position or the state. This is acceptable so long as not done in such a away that the people despise him. The prince should be virtuous but also know how and when to get his hands dirty.

      A Prince should have a few advisors that he listens to and that he rewards for speaking honestly and openly; he should ignore all other opinion. The Prince should always make sure his advisors and viceroys know that their positions-- their wealth, authority, and very lives-- are at the whim of the Prince so that they don't go seeking their own gain or become corrupt.

      A Prince is someone who believes he has the power to shape world events, that everything isn't left to "fortune" or random chance forces of history. He yields that authority and has other men follow him.

      I enjoyed this book, it's obviously a 5 star classic.
    • 4/5

      May 30, 2015

      Bombastic at times, though quite entertaining. Still not sure when Tupac is coming back.
    • 2/5

      Apr 19, 2015

      This was mediocre and boring. I was expecting great insight and all I got was my time wasted.
    • 5/5

      Feb 3, 2015

      The most memorable introduction I had to this book was that it was one of those enduring sets of ideas, from which each enthused reader would take something different. And indeed that it what I found. The result is that the read tells you little about the end of Italy's dark ages and more about your own personal struggle with life. Machiavelli's nobility, mercenaries and people become like the mountains, valleys and the earth of Chinese philosophy, mere figures for the politics of one's own life.

      As someone always on the look out for material, I found this an incredibly rich source. Its strong points are its organised approach and the author's astute understanding of power relations. What is intriguing is that it is hard to tell how much of his knowledge was earned from erudition, how much from conversation and how much from imagination. Some ideas are, as his reputation precedes, controversial, but that does not take away from the overall portrait he paints. Nor does it predict his cloudy ambition or somewhat pure motivations.
    • 4/5

      Jan 2, 2015

      Having heard many thing about this book, I was eager to dig in and see what the fuss was about. I have to say, Machiavelli was an INTJ. His prose, his ideas, his assessments - all of them are logical, well-explained, and rational. I understand why people might assume he is conniving and evil. But truthfully, he's just practical and honest about what it takes to rule. If I ever decide to take over the world, Machiavelli will be my guide.
    • 3/5

      Dec 15, 2014

      Ok book - best way I can describe. Simple to read and interesting to parallel to the world we now live in but overall nothing amazing
    • 4/5

      May 21, 2014

      Now understand why it's a classic 
    • 3/5

      May 15, 2014

      I read this because it is one of those books everyone says should be read. It wasn't terribly long, the translation was easily understandable and I thought I would give it a try.

      What surprised me, was that I enjoyed it. I found Machiavelli's teaching style very good. He sets forth a principle, then illustrates it with examples from both ancient history and his times. It was easy to go from there and find examples in our modern times of most of the principles he set forth. I found myself marveling at his insight into human nature and the practicalities of leadership in a fallen world.

      Needless to say, I now feel myself prepared to take on the leadership of any minor principality which would have me. World, beware!
    • 2/5

      Dec 29, 2013

      Well, you probably know about this book. Now, I'm sure that I could have read it much more closely and come up with some very interesting material to think about. But honestly- it's just not that interesting. If you're easily shocked or titillated by the idea that powerful people are powerful because they're immoral, you will be shocked and titillated. If you didn't spend your formative years reading Cicero's 'De Oficiis,' on the other hand, you won't be surprised. And honestly, if you've read a newspaper in the last century, Machiavelli won't teach you anything. He has a bunch of nice stories to illustrate his points, but without knowing the context of the stories he tells it's difficult to know why I should care. The chapter on republics is interesting, granted. But to be honest I think I'd rather read someone who knows a lot about Machiavelli than the man himself. Skinner, here I come.

      I should say, too, that the Cambridge edition is excellent. 'The Prince' is in desperate need of annotation, and the editors do an excellent job of making things clear without making the text unreadable.

    Book preview

    The Prince - Niccolò Machiavelli

    001

    Table of Contents

    Title Page

    Copyright Page

    Introduction

    MACHIAVELLI’S WORLD

    THE ORIGINALITY OF THE PRINCE

    JUSTIFYING FORCE

    OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE

    MACHIAVELLI’S SUCCESS LAWS

    MACHIAVELLI’S FINAL, POWERFUL MESSAGE

    SOURCES

    THE EFFECTIVE LEADER

    Other works by Machiavelli

    Timeline

    ABOUT TOM BUTLER-BOWDON

    THE PRINCE

    DEDICATION: TO THE MAGNIFICENT LORENZO DI PIERO DE’ MEDICI

    I - OF THE VARIOUS KINDS OF PRINCEDOM, AND OF THE WAYS IN WHICH THEY ARE ACQUIRED

    II - OF HEREDITARY PRINCEDOMS

    III - OF MIXED PRINCEDOMS

    IV - WHY THE KINGDOM OF DARIUS, CONQUERED BY ALEXANDER, DID NOT, ON ALEXANDER’S ...

    V - HOW CITIES OR PROVINCES WHICH BEFORE THEIR ACQUISITION HAVE LIVED UNDER ...

    VI - OF NEW PRINCEDOMS WHICH A PRINCE ACQUIRES WITH HIS OWN ARMS AND BY MERIT

    VII - OF NEW PRINCEDOMS ACQUIRED BY THE AID OF OTHERS AND BY GOOD FORTUNE

    VIII - OF THOSE WHO BY THEIR CRIMES COME TO BE PRINCES

    IX - OF THE CIVIL PRINCEDOM

    X - HOW THE STRENGTH OF ALL PRINCEDOMS SHOULD BE MEASURED

    XI - OF ECCLESIASTICAL PRINCEDOMS

    XII - HOW MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF SOLDIERS THERE ARE, AND OF MERCENARIES

    XIII - OF AUXILIARY, MIXED, AND NATIONAL ARMS

    XIV - OF THE DUTY OF A PRINCE IN RESPECT OF MILITARY AFFAIRS

    XV - OF THE QUALITIES IN RESPECT OF WHICH MEN, AND MOST OF ALL PRINCES, ARE ...

    XVI - OF LIBERALITY AND MISERLINESS

    XVII - OF CRUELTY AND CLEMENCY, AND WHETHER IT IS BETTER TO BE LOVED OR FEARED

    XVIII - HOW PRINCES SHOULD KEEP FAITH

    XIX - THAT A PRINCE SHOULD SEEK TO ESCAPE CONTEMPT AND HATRED

    XX - WHETHER FORTRESSES, AND CERTAIN OTHER EXPEDIENTS TO WHICH PRINCES OFTEN ...

    XXI - HOW A PRINCE SHOULD BEAR HIMSELF SO AS TO ACQUIRE REPUTATION

    XXII - OF THE SECRETARIES OF PRINCES

    XXIII - THAT FLATTERERS SHOULD BE SHUNNED

    XXIV - WHY THE PRINCES OF ITALY HAVE LOST THEIR STATES

    XXV - WHAT FORTUNE CAN EFFECT IN HUMAN AFFAIRS, AND HOW SHE MAY BE WITHSTOOD

    XXVI - AN EXHORTATION TO LIBERATE ITALY FROM THE BARBARIANS

    001

    This edition first published 2010

    Introduction copyright © Tom Butler-Bowdon, 2010

    The material for The Prince is based on the complete 1910 edition of The Prince, by Niccolò Machiavelli, translated by Ninian Hill Thomson, published by P. F. Collier & Son Company, New York, and is now in the public domain. This edition is not sponsored or endorsed by, or otherwise affiliated with Ninian Hill Thomson, his family or heirs.

    Registered office

    Capstone Publishing Ltd. (A Wiley Company), The Atrium, Southern Gate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8SQ, United Kingdom

    For details of our global editorial offices, for customer services and for information about how to apply for permission to reuse the copyright material in this book please see our website at www.wiley.com.

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

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    Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book are trade names, service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publisher is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold on the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering professional services. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

    Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

    9780857080783

    A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

    Set in 11/15pt, NewBaskerville-Roman by Thomson Digital, India

    , Padstow

    AN INTRODUCTION

    BY TOM BUTLER-BOWDON

    Machiavelli’s The Prince has the reputation for being ‘bad’. It is said to have been bedtime reading for Napoleon, Hitler and Stalin, and Shakespeare used the term ‘Machiavel’ to mean a schemer who was happy to sacrifice people for evil aims. Relentlessly attacked by religious figures, it was put on the Catholic Church’s index of prohibited books, and was equally reviled by Protestant reformers.

    Yet, in contrast to centuries of popular maligning of Machiavelli, recent research has focused on his ethics and the fact that he was a genuine moral philosopher and well-rounded Renaissance man whose overriding wish was to be useful. Indeed, as Yale’s Erica Benner suggests, The Prince is best seen not as a guide on how to be ruthless or self-serving, but rather as a lens to see objectively the prevailing views of the day, and to open the eyes of the reader as to the motives of others. With this knowledge, the new leader can act in an effective way, making sure their essentially noble goals are kept in sight.

    The Prince continues to fascinate, shock, repel and inspire the person of today as much as it did the reader of the 16th century. Although written as a kind of showcase of its author’s knowledge of statecraft in order to gain employment, and very much concerned with the events of his day, the book’s timeless insights into the nature of power and human motivation have transcended its original setting.

    MACHIAVELLI’S WORLD

    To fully appreciate the work we need to get a sense of the times in which its author lived.

    Niccolò Machiavelli was born in the city-state of Florence in 1469. Of a respectable family, his father was a lawyer who provided him with a good education in rhetoric, grammar and Latin. Yet this branch of the Machiavelli family was never wealthy, and while still in his teens Niccolò began working for the Florentine state.

    At this time Florence was ruled by Lorenzo de’ Medici, the great Renaissance patron of arts who had made Florence the leading state in Italy. But the city’s humanist outlook and wealth brought with it a perception of moral decline, most notably from the outspoken Dominican friar, Girolamo Savonarola. His urging of the creation of a ‘Christian commonwealth’, of which God was sovereign, proved popular, and following the expulsion of the Medici a republic with a fair amount of democratic representation was instituted. Though Savonarola was executed four years later at the instigation of Pope Alexander VI, who saw him as a threat to the church’s power, the republic itself continued. Machiavelli’s working life spanning 14 years thus began under the powerful but autocratic Medici dynasty and continued in a republic.

    At 29, Machiavelli was made Secretary of the Second Chancery of the Republic, and Secretary of the Ten of Liberty and Peace, a foreign affairs and military committee. He was now one of the top civil servants of the republic, a confidant of Pier Soderini, its administrative head, and was constantly deploying and refining his significant rhetorical skills in the preparation of speeches and briefings. He was sent on many diplomatic missions, and able to observe first-hand the most powerful figures of his day including Louis XII, King of France, Emperor Maximilian I and Pope Julius II. He was also part of legations to neighbouring Italian states, which at that time included the Duchy of Milan, the Venetian republic, the Kingdom of Naples and the Papal States.

    Though Machiavelli relished this interesting work, it revealed to him the limits to Florence’s power and the vulnerability of the Italian states in general. Given this, it is then easy to understand his admiration for Cesare Borgia, the Duke Valentino, who through his military prowess created a new power base in the Romagna region of eastern Italy. Machiavelli spent three or four months at his court, and so gained an estimation of him as the paragon of a ‘new Prince’; that is, one who does not inherit a state but creates or takes one. He devotes considerable space in The Prince to Borgia. For Machiavelli, it did not matter that Borgia had a reputation for cruelty and brute force. Rather, the qualities he displayed were just what Italy needed if it was ever to become anything more than a collection of smallish states run by corrupt families, or propped up and controlled by foreign powers.

    When however, in 1512, the Medicis were restored to power in Florence with the help of Pope Julius II, Machiavelli’s career came to a sudden end. He was relieved of all his duties and forbidden to leave Florentine territory, but worse was to come. The following year he was accused of plotting against the new regime and thrown into prison where he was tortured. But he made no confession of guilt and was released in a few weeks. Without a source of income, he retreated to the family farm in Percussina, just south of Florence. There, working outdoors during the day and retiring to his study at night, he read histories and biographies of the great figures of classical Rome and Athens, and wrote. This study of history, combined with his deep experience in state affairs, he believed could result in a valuable contribution to political philosophy, and it was here that he finished composing Il Principe, or The Prince.

    For his remaining years he was a man of letters, writing a history of Florence, ironically commissioned by the Medici, and other works including his Art of War, the only historical or political work to be published while he was still alive. He died in 1527.

    THE ORIGINALITY OF THE PRINCE

    In the 14th-16th centuries there developed a whole genre of guidebooks for princes, known as specula principlis (‘mirror-for-princes’). These were generally composed for young men about to inherit kingdoms. A notable example, Erasmus’ The Education of a Christian Prince, published only a couple of years after Machiavelli had finished The Prince, exhorted rulers to act as if they were saints, arguing that successful rule naturally corresponds with the goodness of the ruler. Centuries before, Augustine provided a template against which every society and ruler would be judged through the Middle Ages. Written just after the collapse of the Roman Empire, Augustine’s The City of God provided a stark contrast to the flawed political structures of man, proposing that the fulfilment of human beings lay in turning inward to God.

    When we appreciate the hold that such idealizations had over the medieval imagination it is possible to understand the shock that The Prince had created. For not only did Machiavelli not believe that, given human nature, a truly ‘good’ ruler or perfect state could exist, but in fact he viewed the incursion of religious ideals into politics as damaging to the effectiveness of states. While a believing Christian himself, who saw the value of religion in creating a cohesive society, he felt that the direct involvement of the Church in state affairs ultimately corrupted both state and Church. There was no better example of this than the Papal or ecclesiastical states, actual bounded lands within Italy which in Machiavelli’s time during the reign of Pope Alexander VI became a very earthly, powerful force which could make big states like France tremble. Alexander himself had several mistresses and sired many illegitimate children, grew personally very rich through his conquests, and relentlessly advanced his son Cesare Borgia’s military campaigns through the sale of indulgences (Church dispensations of sin offered at a price). The Pope’s corrupt activities fomented a backlash that would eventually come in the form of the Protestant Reformation.

    Machiavelli devotes a chapter to these states in The Prince, but he weighs his words carefully, noting with some sarcasm that since they are set up and supported by God himself . . . he would be a rash and presumptuous man who should venture to discuss them. But he does

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