Niccolò Machiavelli

1469–1527 · Italian (Florentine) · Italian Renaissance

Known for: Wrote The Prince — the book that made 'Machiavellian' a synonym for cunning political ruthlessness

Niccolò Machiavelli was a Florentine diplomat and political theorist whose book The Prince became the most infamous work of political philosophy ever written. He served the Florentine Republic as a senior diplomat and military organizer for 14 years before the Medici family returned to power in 1512, imprisoning and torturing him. Exiled to his country estate, he wrote The Prince as an attempt to win Medici favor — it didn't work during his lifetime.

The Prince argues that an effective ruler must be willing to lie, betray, and use violence when necessary — a shocking break from the medieval tradition of 'mirror for princes' books that emphasized Christian virtue. His Discourses on Livy, a longer and arguably more important work, reveals his genuine republicanism. He wanted Florence to be a republic; The Prince was tactical advice for a world where republics kept losing.

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