Which political philosopher wrote The Prince in 1513 during the Italian Renaissance?

Niccolò Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1513 during the Italian Renaissance. The short political treatise examines how rulers acquire, maintain, and lose power, using examples from ancient history and the turbulent politics of Renaissance Italy.

Machiavelli wrote the work after the Medici returned to power in Florence and he was removed from public office. He dedicated it to Lorenzo de’ Medici, although the book was not published during Machiavelli’s lifetime. Its first known publication appeared in 1532, five years after his death.

The adjective “Machiavellian” later acquired a strongly negative meaning, but The Prince is more complex than a simple handbook of cruelty. Machiavelli distinguishes political effectiveness from conventional morality and stresses the importance of adaptability, military strength, and understanding circumstances. His other major work, Discourses on Livy, takes a broader view of republican government.