Niccolò Machiavelli: The Prince (1513)
Context
Machiavelli's life coincided with political turmoil in his home city of Florence (Italian: Firenze), one of the most important city-states in the region of central Italy called Tuscany. On the surface, Florence was a democracy, but in reality it was more of an oligarchy or plutocracy, with power lodged in the hands of a few prominent and wealthy citizens. Chief among these wealthy citizens were the Medicis, a family of bankers and merchants led by Cosimo de' Medici, sometimes called Cosimo the Elder, who came to power in 1434. The Medicis manipulated elections through fear and favor and created a patronage network that relied on a combination of cunning, deception, persuasion, leniency, force, and social astuteness—all oiled by money—to manage Florence for generations without establishing an overt dictatorship.
Machiavelli came of age during a time of rapid change. Piero di Cosimo de' Medici, Cosimo's son, succeeded his father in 1464, but he was soon followed in 1469...
