V Born May 3, 1469; died June 21, 1527

V Lived in Florence, Italy

V Involved in government and diplomatic relations
V Second Chancellor of Republic of Florence
V Became a writer after losing his position in the
government when the Mediciૹs took over Italy
V Received a good education which gave him
knowledge on Latin and Italian classics
V June and July 1498: appointed as the head of the
chancery of the Florentine government on
V Next Fourteen Years: traveling, negotiating
agreements, and reporting to the government is what
he did (He was a clerk and an ambassador.)
V this gave him opportunities to visit other Italian and
foreign states, observe their rulers, statecraft, and
military actions
V 1509: also organized and trained the militia
that helped Florence reconquer Pisa
V 1512: the republican government fell and the
Medici family came to power with the help of
Pope Julius II
V Machiavelli was dismissed and he then on
lived in a small farm outside of Florence
V Next Fifteen Years: he started writing for the
and all the works he did made him famous
V þ

 


 






 




 









he Prince" was intended to act as a guide for on how a
prince should maintain his power as well as his
principality.
he Book explains the acquistion, expansion, and use
of political power in italy.
he Book is compised into 9 sections
È Defense and Military
È Reputation of a Prince
È Genorosity vs. Parsimony
È Cruelty vs. Mercy
È Avoiding contempt and hatred
È Gaining honors
È Nobles and staff
È Avoiding flatterers
È Fortunes
Èß
  

-Describes how a state can attack and defend its
territory.
- A prince must be able to establish his own army
and not rely on the aid of others because his city
won't be unified.
- hen under seige a prince must keep the
morale of his people high in order overcome and
help his citizens cooperate together.
- A prince must never hire a mercenary army as
they are unloyal,cowardly, costly.
- A prince must hunt and landscape his
surroundings and study with great military
Ș 


 
- A prince must carry certain traits in order to
govern his people but should know when and
not to use them.
- He must be merciful, faithful, humane, frank,
and religious.
È 4 

- If a prince is too generous then he will lose
appreciation and lust for greed, as well as use
all his resources.
- A prince should be hated on by being stern
than hated on being to generous.
È !
 
- A prince should both be loved and feared.
- A prince should not interfere with the
property of the subjects, their women, or the
life of somebody without proper justification.
- A prince should instill fear and cruelty to
keep his troops respect.
È Ö


 
-A prince should command respect through his
conduct, because a prince that is highly
respected by his people is unlikely to face
internal struggles.
- A prince who does not raise the contempt of
È 4
- hen selecting allies never be neutral amongst
two.
-If your allies win, you benefit whether or not
you have more power than they have.
-If you are more powerful, then your allies are
under your command; if your allies are stronger,
they will always feel a certain obligation to you
for your help.
-If your side loses, you still have an ally in the
loser.
È ï 



hen selecting servants a prince must
-people that understand things for itself.
-people that understand what others can
understand.
-people that don't understand for itself, nor
through others. Not a good feature.
È Ö


 
- A prince should have a select group of wise
counselors to advise him truthfully on matters
all the time.
-he decision's should be made by the
counselors and carried out absolutely. If a
prince changes his mind his repuation will
suffer.
È u
 
-Fortune is only the judge of half our actions
and we have control over the other half.
- hen fortune pops up a prince should know
how to handle a situation and imitate actions
from great men before him to a certain extent
  þ