Nicolo Machiavelli was a famed theorist, historian, playwright, diplomat and strategist of the 1400's and 1500's. From 1498 to 1512, he was a military and political leader in Italy. In 1512, he was captured, imprisoned, and tortured by the Medici. He was released in 1513, and he began his career as a writer.
Machiavelli is most famous for his book, The Prince. The Prince was
his most widely known and controversial book. It was written in the form of a guide to a
man who Machiavelli hoped would become Italy's next great ruler, Lorenzo the Magnificent.
It included many ideas about how a prince should operate, control, and supervise his
principality. It includes judgments about gaining and holding riches, virtue, war, and
the ethics of a prince. Here are some interesting excerpts from The Prince :
Chapter 8: Of Such as Have Achieved Sovereignty by Means of
Crimes
Chapter 17: Of Cruelty and Clemency, and Whether it it Better to
be Loved or Feared
Chapter 21: How Princes Should Conduct Themselves to Acquire a
Reputation
Full Text of The Prince
Other interesting Machiavelli/The Prince Links :
The Executive-A satire of The
Prince