Why does machiavelli write the prince

Against a backdrop of political stability and growing prosperity, the development of new Generally described as taking place from the 14th century to the 17th century, the Renaissance promoted the rediscovery of classical philosophy, Benito Mussolini was an Italian political leader who became the fascist dictator of Italy from to Originally a revolutionary socialist, he forged the paramilitary fascist movement in and became prime minister in Louis Berizzi was in his pajamas when FBI agents burst into his Manhattan apartment and arrested him.

As his daughter, Lucetta, and the rest of the family watched, wiping the sleep from their eyes, he hurried into clothing and was taken away. Soon after, FBI agents questioned Established around the first century B. Live TV. This Day In History. History Vault. The Prince As leaders rapidly rose and fell, Machiavelli observed traits that, he believed, bolstered power and influence.

Machiavelli Quotes "The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. How the Troubles Began in Northern Ireland. Mona Lisa. Did Columbus Start a Zombie Plague? Julius Caesar. Italian Renaissance Toward the end of the 14th century A. Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci was a painter, architect, inventor, and student of all things scientific. Title Derivation. Many Roman emperors, including Augustus Caesar, used princeps as one of their titles.

Prince , as Machiavelli uses the word, can refer not only to a prince but also to a king, an emperor, a duke, or any other sovereign.

Key Dates. Machiavelli began The Prince in and completed it in It was published posthumously, in , and translated into English in Florence was a city-state which the wealthy Medici family had gained control of in and ruled continuously until the s. In , the greatest of all the Medici rulers—Lorenzo de' Medici, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent—died and was succeeded by his son, Piero. After the French invaded Italy in , Florence, Piero angered the populace by attempting to appease the French with concessions.

Consequently, he and his family were driven out of Florence. Between and , the Italian Dominican priest Girolamo Savonarola ruled the city with a democratic government.

The many successes he achieved aroused jealousy, and in he was executed. In that year, Florence was declared a republic. Machiavelli, who had served previously in a minor government role, was appointed to an important position in the republic: secretary of the council that oversaw diplomacy and military affairs.

As part of his duties, he went on missions to France and Germany and to governments within Italy. In time, he became well schooled in government affairs. While carrying out missions, Machiavelli witnessed firsthand the ruthless tactics that Italian politician Cesare Borgia or used to seize and maintain control of cities.

Machiavelli later based many of the governing methods recommended in The Prince on those used by Borgia. After the Medici family returned and seized power in Florence in , Machiavelli lost his job and was later accused of conspiring against the city.

Consequently, he was imprisoned, tortured, and then banished for a year. He then wrote The Prince. Purpose of The Prince. The Prince as an Innovative Work. What set The Prince apart from other treatises on politics—and shocked the reading public—was this: It argued that a sovereign from time to time must resort to unethical and immoral policies and practices in order maintain control and maximize the safety and welfare of his domain.

In other words, a ruler should lie, cheat, break promises, and so on to strengthen or maintain his control while promoting the welfare of the people. The end justifies the means. Machiavelli formuated his political theory after years of observing corrupt politics close up. True, it would have been better for human beings to follow established moral and ethical precepts, Machiavelli knew.

But politics was a tainted profession. Saints passed their lives praying in monasteries or working in leper colonies. City hall was the domain of the devil. To survive in city hall, one had to adopt the tactics of the devil. Machiavelli was a realist. In , the Medici family regained control of Florence, and Machiavelli was dismissed from office. A year later he was wrongly accused of participating in a conspiracy to restore the republic, held in jail for three weeks, and tortured on the rack.

In he began writing his Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius, a book that focused on states controlled by a politically active citizenry.

It was not finished until , mainly because he interrupted his work on Discourses to write The Prince. Machiavelli desperately wanted to return to politics. But Medici received the book indifferently, and Machiavelli did not receive an invitation to serve as an official. But slowly, as word spread, the book began to be criticized as immoral, evil, and wicked. The Florentines expelled their Medici ruler, and Machiavelli tried to retake the office he had left so before.

But his reputation got in the way of his ambitions. He was now too closely associated with the Medicis, and the republic rejected him. The most revolutionary aspect of The Prince is its separation of politics and ethics.

Classical political theory traditionally linked political law with a higher, moral law. In contrast, Machiavelli argues that political action must always be considered in light of its practical consequences rather than some lofty ideal. Another striking feature of The Prince is that it is far less theoretical than the literature on political theory that preceded it.