Character Catalog

Political treatise addressed to Lorenzo de' Medici, analyzing how to conquer and maintain power. A founding work of modern political realism, it shocked readers with its sharp separation between morality and politics.

Commentary on the first ten books of the Roman historian, in which Machiavelli develops his republican thought and his reflections on civic virtues and liberty.

The only major work published during Machiavelli's lifetime, written in dialogue form. In it he argues for a national citizen army as opposed to the use of mercenaries.

Satirical comedy considered one of the finest plays of the Italian Renaissance. It humorously and cynically illustrates the mechanisms of cunning and seduction.

A history of Florence commissioned by Pope Clement VII (a Medici), tracing the political evolution of the city from its origins to the 15th century. Machiavelli applies his method of analyzing political forces throughout.

A semi-historical, semi-fictional biography of a 14th-century condottiere, used by Machiavelli to illustrate his theories on the ideal military and political leader.

It is necessary for a prince, if he wishes to maintain himself, to learn how to not be good, and to use this or not use it according to necessity.

Men do good out of necessity; but as soon as they have a choice and enjoy too great a freedom, everything is immediately filled with confusion and disorder.

When evening comes, I return home and enter my study. On the threshold, I take off my everyday clothes, covered in mud and filth, and I put on courtly, royal and pontifical garments.

A prince who understands nothing of war cannot be respected by his soldiers, nor count on them.

Florence has always been stirred by factions, and its citizens have never been able to live in peace or in harmony.

Seat of the Florentine government where Machiavelli worked for fourteen years as a secretary. It was here that he closely observed the mechanisms of republican power.

Family estate where Machiavelli was exiled after 1512. It was in this country house that he wrote The Prince and maintained his famous correspondence.

Machiavelli travelled to Rome several times on diplomatic missions and closely observed papal power, notably Julius II and Leo X, whom he analyses in The Prince.

Cities where Machiavelli met Cesare Borgia in 1502. This pivotal encounter inspired him with the model of the energetic and unscrupulous prince described in his work.

Founded by the Medici, this library was the intellectual heart of the Florentine Renaissance. Machiavelli drew from its ancient manuscripts, which nourished his thinking.

Machiavelli's everyday tool — he wrote his diplomatic reports, letters, and literary works with a quill pen. His correspondence with Francesco Vettori remains a precious testament to his intellectual life.

The Prince first circulated as a hand-copied manuscript before its publication in 1532. This condensed text of about a hundred pages revolutionized Western political philosophy.

Diplomats of the era used hand-drawn maps representing the Italian principalities in perpetual conflict. Machiavelli consulted them to prepare his missions and analyze the balance of power.

During his official duties, Machiavelli wore the formal garments of the chancery secretary. He describes in his own letters the ritual of changing clothes to transition from the everyday world to that of thought.

Machiavelli frequently played dice and other games at the village taverns during his exile. This detail, which he recounts himself, illustrates the social degradation felt by this statesman forced into idleness.

Machiavelli drew abundantly from ancient historians to illustrate his political theories. His Discourses on Livy bear witness to his assiduous reading of the Romans.