Machiavelli(1469 — 1527)
Niccolò Machiavelli
République florentine
7 min read
Florentine philosopher and statesman (1469–1527), Machiavelli is the author of The Prince, a treatise that laid the foundations of modern political realism. He analyzes power as it is actually exercised, not as it should be, revolutionizing political thought during the Renaissance.
Frequently asked questions
Famous Quotes
« A prince must know how to act like a beast, and among beasts he must choose the lion and the fox. »
« It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. »
« Men are so simple and so readily governed by present necessities. »
Key Facts
- 1469: Born in Florence
- 1498–1512: Career in the service of the Florentine Republic as Secretary of the Chancery
- 1513: Writing of The Prince, an analysis of political power based on empirical observation
- 1520–1527: Publication of his major works (The Prince, Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius)
- 1527: Death in Florence
Works & Achievements
A political treatise addressed to Lorenzo de' Medici, analyzing how to seize and hold power. A founding work of modern political realism, it shocked readers with its sharp separation of morality from politics.
A commentary on the first ten books of the Roman historian, in which Machiavelli develops his republican thinking and his reflections on civic virtues and freedom.
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 reliance on mercenaries.
A satirical comedy considered one of the finest plays of the Italian Renaissance. It portrays the mechanics of cunning and seduction with humor and cynicism.
A history of Florence commissioned by Pope Clement VII (a Medici), tracing the city's political evolution from its origins through the fifteenth century. Machiavelli applies his method of analyzing political forces throughout.
A semi-historical, semi-fictional biography of a fourteenth-century condottiere, used by Machiavelli to illustrate his theories on the ideal military and political leader.
Anecdotes
After the fall of the Florentine Republic in 1512, Machiavelli was accused of plotting against the Medici, arrested, and tortured. He denied any involvement and was eventually released, but this painful experience of political disgrace deeply shaped his thinking about power and fortune.
Machiavelli wrote *The Prince* in just a few weeks in 1513, from his country house at Sant'Andrea in Percussina, where he had been sent into exile. He hoped to offer the work to the Medici in order to regain their favor and secure a post in the Florentine administration — to no avail.
Each evening, Machiavelli would put on his court clothes before sitting down at his writing table. He described this himself in a letter to his friend **Francesco Vettori**: he would change into fine dress to enter the company of the great men of Antiquity, as if paying them a visit.
Machiavelli served as secretary of the Florentine chancellery for fourteen years, from **1498** to **1512**. As a diplomat, he encountered figures as formidable as **Cesare Borgia**, Pope **Julius II**, and Emperor **Maximilian I** — encounters that directly informed his political analyses.
According to an anecdote passed down by his contemporaries, Machiavelli is said to have declared on his deathbed that he would rather go to hell with the great political and military figures than to heaven with the saints. Whether true or legendary, this quip captures both his sharp wit and his sulfurous reputation.
Primary Sources
It is necessary for a prince, if he wishes to maintain himself, to learn how to be able not to 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 freedom of choice and enjoy too much liberty, everything is at once filled with confusion and disorder.
When evening comes, I return home and enter my study. On the threshold I take off my workday clothes, covered with mud and dirt, and put on the garments of court and palace.
A prince who understands nothing of war cannot be respected by his soldiers, nor can he rely on them.
Florence has always been torn by factions, and its citizens have never been able to live in peace or concord.
Key Places
Seat of the Florentine government where Machiavelli worked for fourteen years as a secretary. It was here that he closely observed the mechanics of republican power.
The 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 traveled to Rome several times on diplomatic missions and closely observed papal power — notably Julius II and Leo X — whom he analyses in *The Prince*.
Towns where Machiavelli met Cesare Borgia in 1502. This pivotal encounter inspired his model of the bold, unscrupulous prince described throughout his work.
Founded by the Medici, this library was the intellectual heart of the Florentine Renaissance. Machiavelli drew on its ancient manuscripts to shape his political thought.
Liens externes & ressources
Références
Œuvres
Le Prince (Il Principe)
rédigé 1513, publié 1532
Discours sur la première décade de Tite-Live
1513-1519, publié 1531
L'Art de la guerre (Dell'arte della guerra)
1521
La Mandragore (La Mandragola)
vers 1518
Histoires florentines (Istorie fiorentine)
1525
De la vie de Castruccio Castracani
1520
