The Prince was first published in 1532, five years after Niccolò Machiavelli’s death. The treatise became one of the most influential works in political philosophy and is best known for its unsentimental discussion of power, leadership, and statecraft.
Machiavelli began developing the work around 1513, when he was living in political retirement after the Medici returned to power in Florence. The manuscript circulated privately for years under the Latin title De Principatibus, meaning “On Principalities.” Its familiar Italian title, Il Principe, was associated with the later printed edition.
The 1532 publication was issued in Italian by the printer Antonio Blado d’Asola, with permission connected to Pope Clement VII. A common mix-up is to answer 1513: that year relates to the work’s composition or early manuscript form, not its first printed publication. The book’s arguments about whether rulers must sometimes use deception or force helped make Machiavelli’s name synonymous with pragmatic, even ruthless, politics.