The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

Prior Knowledge: Niccolo Machiavelli was a state diplomat, during the times of the Hapsburg-Valois wars. As such, his allegiance was constantly shifting. The disarray of the Italian city-states was infuriating to Machiavelli, as he believed that a ruler should be able to govern his own nation. This led to him writing Histories. The Medici family, seeing this as an insult to the

Niccolò Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469, in Florence, Italy during the Renaissance. He was born into nobility so his childhood was quiet; he received the standard humanistic education popular during the Renaissance, but he always desired to obtain political office. Going into his young adult life, he witnessed the removal of the Medici family and the political conflict that was to follow. At this time, Italy was in political chaos; a number of city-states including Florence, Milan, Venice, and Naples all fought for control of Italy, along with Spain, France, and the Holy Roman Empire. Each one attempted to manipulate one another as to get the upper hand, they resorted to malicious practices such as blackmail and crude violence. These acts heavily influenced Machiavelli’s attitudes toward government, creating the foundation for The Prince.

The time of the Renaissance is filled with growth of intellect, beauty of nature, the dignity of mankind, and the rising of artists. It is characterized from the move of scholasticism, a devotion specifically for the theological and philosophical teachings of the Church, to humanism, a devotion to the humanities of rhetoric, arithmetic, and other subjects. An example of this movement is seen in Machiavelli’s The Prince which describes Niccolo Machiavelli’s ideal ruler and how to obtain stability,because it was lacking during the time he was writing this, as there was a power shift from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe. While Machiavelli promotes stability, he has a disordered love towards his country as he promotes to defend and fight

In The Prince, Machiavelli doesn’t hesitate to recommend that a ruler employ conventionally immoral methods against his own subjects to maintain authority over them, but he does imply that whatever a ruler does should ultimately benefit the community. A Prince’s actions may be cruel, manipulative, or otherwise immoral, but they put him in the position to govern. On occasion, Machiavelli even suggests that gaining power through immoral acts is the best way to improve a community because immorality is pragmatic in a way morality is not. A strong ruler established by immoral means can then do good for his state; Machiavelli indicates that simply having power is not enough. A ruler should also use it well. Admittedly, a ruler may only want to do good for his state in an effort to secure his own position at its head, but the effect he has is no less good for the lack of selfless reasoning behind it. Machiavelli implies that a strong ruler who necessarily acquires and keeps power through immoral actions has a generally good effect on his state, which is a naturally moral byproduct of otherwise immoral deeds.

While Thoughts From The Tao-te Ching by Lao-Tzu and The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli are both pieces of work that serve as ground rules or guidelines for a ruler on how to rule a country, the two authors’ prepositions vary tremendously. One author takes on a susceptible viewpoint, while another takes on a much more conservative outlook. There are many factors as to why they differ so much. Even though Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli both provide intricate structures as to how rulers should run their state, there are extreme differences between the two.

Niccolo Machiavelli was a politician and writer of the Renaissance period in Florence. In one of his works ‘The Prince’ he discusses the great ways a ruler can become king and a little insight on how leaders can gain control and maintain it. He talks a lot about military affiliations and how important they are to remain in power. He also references Italy and their political situations as an example to their downfall to make his points and the idea of a Machiavellian leader.

Florence was exposed to the principles and ideologies of foreign regions and immersed them into the art and literature produced thereafter. That then percolated to the rest of the other European nations and the rest of Italy itself. The Medici maintained these connections rooted and stable by way of finance and politics and guaranteed that Florence, throughout the Renaissance, was an advocate of the arts. Furthermore, had it not been for the establishment of a connection between the Medici and the Papacy, Florence and Rome, it seems, may have actually been rivals grown under the essence of partnership and collaboration during the Renaissance. Rome supplied many Florentine artists with a harbor, and, in turn, Florence took advantage of the administration of the papal funds.

The Renaissance brought many new concepts and influential people to Rome that helped shape the country. During this time, a rebirth of interests in Greek and Roman art emerged, and attention shifted to the world of nature. It was primarily a time of the revival of classical learning after a long period of cultural inactivity and decline. This allowed people to be more open minded which allowed for another intellectual movement, Humanism, to emerge and spread throughout the country. The Medici family lived in Rome during this period of rebirths and movements. The Pazzi and Albizzi families would take their turn as head of government in Florence before the Medici’s. The Medici family would eventually become the political dynasty during the mid-15th century. The Medici family had a major influence on the growth of the Renaissance through their establishment of the first system of banking, patronage of the arts, and their power in Florence.

The Italian Renaissance would not be possible if it were not for the wealthy noble families of the Italian Republics. Thanks to the ideal of patronage, nobles funded the artists, architects, and the sciences the Renaissance period of Europe spurred on the resurgence of European driven advances not seen seen since the Classical Era. While there were many Italian noble families that took on patrons, none were as good for the Renaissance as the Medici family of the Florentine Republic. Thanks to their immense wealth, love of the arts, and even contribution of family artists the Italian Renaissance would become an era filled with immense beauty and wonderful works of art.

The Prince was written by Niccolo Machiavelli for Guiliano de Medici, whose family had just recently ascended to the crown of Italy. The book was written to Prince Medici as a job application, due to the previous royal family, in which Machiavelli worked for, being removed from power thus leaving him without a job. This paper will touch on how it is a renaissance work, the renaissance values present in the text, and why the text was controversial.

With the constitution of 1532 proclaiming Alessandro de’Medici hereditary duke the Republic died, and the Medici family once again rose from the ashes, ending the historical struggle between the Medicean and Republican governments of the Florentine Renaissance. Duke Alessandro de’Medici’s assassination in 1537 and widespread uncertainty surrounding his inexperienced and young successor, Cosimo de’Medici, momentarily rekindled hope for a return of the Republic. However, not only did Cosimo thwart any hope for the return of the Republic, he went on to rule Florence for almost forty years and erect a Grand Dukedom that lasted until the mid-18th century. Propaganda in the form of art played a huge role in the consolidation of the Medici dukedom under Cosimo. The political nuances evident in the visual representations commissioned at this time were vital in the manipulation of the public, the establishment of the Medici as a ducal power and the subversion of Republican ideals.

The Prince by Niccolὀ Machiavelli was quite interesting and at the same time quick shocking. It is basically written as a book with a set of rules of how he governed his people and how other government officials should govern their people and territories. This book is one of the main reasons that some people link Machiavelli to Satan and sometimes call him Satan’s son or rightful heir. This book is also what brought the term “Machiavellian” into existence which basically means: “Being or acting in accordance with the principles of government analyzed in Machiavelli’s The Prince” and “characterized by subtle or unscrupulous cunning, deception, expediency, or dishonesty” (Random House Dictionary). Taking that all into account George Bull did

A man of such thought-provoking words, Niccolo Machiavelli, a Renaissance writer known by many titles such as modernist, realistic, and political theorist became famous for his ideology that changed people’s conceptions. The ideas he challenged were written through his many books and plays such as The Prince, The Mandrake, The Art of War, and The Discourse on Livy. Born in May 3rd, 1469, he was raised in Florence by an Italian family, and was educated in the classics and humanism. Though his early life is left relatively unknown, there is much knowledge about his involvement in the Florence government, as it kickstarts the beginning of his works. In 1498, he was appointed to become head of foreign policy for the Florence government. While

Kaiser Wilhelm II lacked distinct characteristics required of a man in Niccolo Machiavelli’s “The Prince”. Kaiser Wilhelm II was a child born from two powerful people of the time. In 1859 the King of Prussia, Prince Frederick Wilhelm and Princess Victoria who was the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria of England became pregnant with their son Wilhelm II. Although Wilhelm was not very fond of England at the time his ties to the royal monarchy would serve to his benefit later on his political agenda. Kaiser Wilhelm was a large political figure in Europe at the time and commanded the German forces in World War I in 1914.

Machiavelli did many things throughout the duration of his lifetime. He’s best known for writing The Prince, a handbook for politicians, the main theme of this book is that “all means may be resorted to for the establishment and preservation of authority -- the end justifies the means -- and that the worst and most treacherous acts of the ruler are justified by the wickedness and treachery of the governed”. Writing this book earned Machiavelli the title of “The Father of Modern Political Theory”. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry. At the age of 25, Machiavelli became a diplomat and served in that position for 14 years. He later became the Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence, then the senior official in the Florentine