The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli Granger, 1820 steel engraving The name Niccolo Machiavelli often brings forth one of the two reactions, gushing praise or downright scorn. Il Principe , or more commonly known as The Prince, is considered to be one of the most politically debated treatise. Machiavelli, in part, wrote it to provide princes, or really any ruling body, a guide on how to effectively maintain their seat of power. However, that wasn't the only reason, Machiavelli also wrote it with the intention to win the favour of Lorenzo de' Medici so that he might once again be allowed into Florence, and hopefully with a job under the Medici family, after his exile. But it is unclear if the Medici family ever read his book. Just shy of a hundred pages, the book was published posthumously in 1532 with the permission of the Medici pope Clement VII. While it might not have influenced Machiavelli's intended target, The Prince has become quite prominent in modern political thought, especia...
