Machiavelli, The Prince (Part 3 of 3)

Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince (Part 3 of 3)

About The Prince:
Ostensibly addressed to Lorenzo Di Medici, The Prince offers pragmatic advice for rulers to acquire and maintain power, emphasising the necessity of political realism, the use of virtue or vice as circumstances require, and the prioritisation of stability over morality. Machiavelli draws on historical examples to illustrate tactics for statecraft and the management of personal fortune.

About Machiavelli:
Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) was an Italian diplomat, political philosopher, and historian and is regarded as one of the founders of modern political theory. Machiavelli was born in Florence (mod. Italy) on 3 May 1469 to a family of minor nobility, he served as secretary to the second chancery of the Florentine Republic from 1498 until 1512. In this role he undertook diplomatic missions, organised military defences, and contributed to republican governance. After the Medici restoration in 1512 he was dismissed, briefly imprisoned, and then exiled from public office. His most influential works, The Prince, The Discourses on Livy and The Art of War, were composed in retirement. Machiavelli died in Florence on 21 June 1527.

English Translation:
Luigi Ricci (1909).

Image:
"Portrait of Niccolò Machiavelli" by Santi di Tito
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Music:
Ottorino Respighi, “Pini di Roma” (1925), The President's Own Marine Band,
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

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