Machiavelli, Niccolò (1469–1527)

Italian politician and author. His name is synonymous with cunning and cynical statecraft. In his chief political writings, Il principe/The Prince (1513) and Discorsi/Discourses (1531), he discussed ways in which rulers can advance the interests of their states (and themselves) through an often amoral and opportunistic manipulation of other people.

Machiavelli was born in Florence and was second chancellor to the republic (1498–1512). On the accession to power of the Medici family in 1512, he was arrested and imprisoned on a charge of conspiracy, but in 1513 was released to exile in the country. The Prince, based on his observations of Cesare Borgia, is a guide for the future prince of a unified Italian state (which did not occur until the Risorgimento in the 19th century). In L'Arte della guerra/The Art of War (1520), Machiavelli outlined the provision of an army for the prince, and in Historie fiorentine/History of Florence he analysed the historical development of Florence until 1492. Among his later works are the comedies Clizia (1515) and La Mandragola/The Mandrake (1524).