Born May 3, 1469 Education included thorough knowledge of Italian

and Latin classics Between 1499 and 1512 took on many diplomatic

missions for Florence For 1503 to 1506 was in charge of Florence militia After Medici family came to power, Machiavelli

was removed from power and tortured on the

rack. He retired to his estate near Florence and began

writing his treatises Died near Florence in 1527

Best known work About how a Prince can keep control

of his realm Because of the tumultuous period Italy

was in, stressed the need for stability The greatest moral good is a stable

and virtuous state, and any action required to get or keep that is justified

Prince must not be hated

Princes should seem to have qualities like religious and humane, but they don’t actually need them

They just need to seem like they have these qualities. They can’t have some because at points they will need to work against that value

Only ethic Prince needs is one that is beneficial when dealing with concerns of state

Parsimony vs. Generosity• Being too generous will cause people to lose

appreciation and become greedy• Giving too much will eventually exhaust

resources, and then Prince would look bad Fear vs. Love

• It is better to rule by fear than love, because commitments made in peace aren’t always kept when adversity comes, but ones made from fear are

Should command through respect and as long as men have women and property, they will be content

As long as nobles are happy, shouldn’t fear conspirators

Should get a group of counselors to discuss with. They should be truthful.

Always carry out plans, no matter what.

This book comprised the early history of Rome

Discussed how a republic should be started and structured

Included things on checks and balances, strength of a tripartite structure and the superiority of a republic over a principality