THE

PRINCE BY
NICCOLO
MACHIAVE
LLI

Submitted by: Dominic P.

Paningbatan
Submitted to: Maam Sheryl Basa

Abstract: To make a research paper on

Niccolo Machiavelli and his book The Prince
and to summarize the central theme of his
book and to explain its significance in the
quest for power and to its maintenance.
Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence on
May 3, 1469 and died on June 21, 1527. He
was
an
Italian
historian,
diplomat,
philosopher, humanist and writer based in
Florence during the Renaissance. His
parents, Bernardo and Bartolomea, had
three other children, two daughters and a
son. Bernardo was a lawyer and a small
landowner with small salary. Machiavellis
education started at the age of seven. A
love of books was a family value that
Machiavelli shared. I learned some Niccolo
points several ways to avoid peoples

hatred: Dont confiscate or even mess with

peoples private property, respect peoples
traditions, dont appear to be greedy, dont
appear to be lacking in character, direct
peoples energies into private pursuits,
promote material prosperity, when giving,
give gradually, show off praiseworthiness
and hide evilness. He wrote the book The
Prince and it is dedicated to Lorenzo de
Medici, who was called il Magnifico. The
Prince is an extended analysis of how to
acquire and maintain political power.
Introduction: The Prince begins with an
address to Lorenzo de Medici, in which
Machiavelli explains that he is seeking favor
with the prince by offering him some of his
knowledge. He then proceeds to classify the
various kinds of states: republics, hereditary
princedoms, brand-new princedoms, and
mixed principalities. New states are his
primary focus, for those are the hardest to
deal with. A conquered state whose original
prince was its sole ruler is difficult to
conquer, but easy to maintain; a conquered
state in which the prince shared power with
the barons is easy to conquer, but difficult to
maintain. When possible, a prince should

strive to rise to power on his own merits and

with his own arms. Relying on friends, good
luck, or other peoples arms may make the
rise easier, but holding onto his newfound
power will prove a difficult task. Machiavelli
devotes almost an entire chapter to Cesare
Borgia, who rose to prominence largely
through connections and his fathers help,
but was crafty enough to carve out his own
niche though he wound up failing in the
end. Princes who rise to the throne through
crime are another matter altogether:
Machiavelli condemns them as wicked and
yet his words betray his admiration for their
cleverness. Cruelty, when well-used, can be
justified. According to Machiavelli, reliance
on mercenaries and auxiliaries for troops is
a grave mistake. A prince must lay strong
foundations good laws and good arms
and if the latter is lacking, the former is
rendered irrelevant. A state needs both to
survive. Mercenaries are disloyal and
divided; foreign auxiliaries come already
united under another master, and so are in
a way even more dangerous. The prince
himself should be a student of war and an
avid reader of military history.
Reputation is another important element to
consider. The front princes put on to appeal

to the populace is often a lie, as Machiavelli

notes; the better the liar, the better the
prince. That said, giving out money when it
is fiscally irresponsible, just to appear
generous, is a mistake; displaying excessive
mercy in order to garner affection can prove
fatal. Better safe than sorry; better to be
feared than to be loved.
Machiavelli
closes The
Prince with
a
meditation on luck and its role in human
affairs, and a call to unite Italy. He addresses
much of this last argument to Lorenzo de
Medici, thereby imposing some semblance
of symmetry on his books structure and
honing his theoretical musings into a direct
exhortation.

Methods/Procedure: First, all you need is

to read the book The Prince by Machiavelli.
Second, understand the story; it is useless
when you read it while not understanding it.
Third, make a summary of your research

paper, let your teacher check it first before

you make.

Results: Important points: Machiavelli is

pointing out several ways to avoid peoples
hatred, important elements to consider is
Reputation,
Prince
must
lay
strong
foundations, and The Prince serve as a
guide to create and hold on to a principality.

Conclusions/Discussions: I learned that

being a Prince is to maintain his power and
only secondarily is a guide for maintaining
the principality. The greatest moral good is
a virtuous and stable state, and actions to
protect the country are therefore justified
even if they are cruel. However, that the
prince must not be hated. "A wise Prince
should establish himself on that which is his
own control and not in that of others; he
must endeavor to avoid hatred, as is noted."

Bibliography:

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CD 98 1994-1998 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.

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1994-1998 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
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"Machiavelli,
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Encarta
Encyclopedia 1993 - 1998 Microsoft Corp.

99

Machiavelli, Niccol, Ed. Angelo M. Codevilla. The

Prince, 1997 Yale University Press (used for
footnotes)
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Jr. The Prince, 1985 The University of Chicago Press
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1971 Knopf