NICOLO MACHIAVELLI
1469-1527


Political theorist

INTRODUCTION

Nicolo Machiavelli was one of the most influencial people of the Renaissance.



BACKGROUND

Machiavelli lived from 1469-1527 and was born in Florence, Italy. As well as an Italian statesman, and a Florentine patriot, he was the head of the Second Chancery at the age of twenty-nine. Nicolo was a senior civil servant but when the republic was overthrown, he was imprisoned and tortured. Machiavelli was released in 1513 and retired to work on his major writings. He had a preoccupation with military affairs.


ACCOMPLISHMENTS


Machiavelli carried out diplomatic missions in France, Germany, and Italy. He was a political philospher. Machiavelli wrote books that were like handbooks for rulers. His most famous book was Il Principe (The Prince) which was concerned with one ruler who governs a mass of subjects. In this book his philosophy was that a state should be unified, orderly, and in balance; that people should be happy, honorable, secure, and strong; that rulers should do whatever they needed to enforce order. He wrote methods of how a ruler could gain power.

Machiavelli was also a political and military theorist, a playwright, a diplomat, a military planner, and wrote many books and poems. Among his writings are Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius, The Art of War, Mandragola, History of Florence, and, of course, Il Principe.


IMPACT


Nicolo Machiavelli is known as the father of modern political science and ranks as one of the most important political figures in the Renaissance. His books influenced the behavior of many people.


This is Machiavelli's home town.


BIBLIOGRAPHY


1. Jennys, Bruce. "Machiavelli." Grolier Electronic Publishing Inc., 1995.

2. "Machiavelli." Encyclopedia of Britannica, 1985, pp. 627-629.

3. Machiavelli, Nicolo. "The Perfect Prince, An Observant Pope." The Renaissance. Washington, National Geographic, 1970, p. 88.

4. Mee, Charles L. Lorenzo De' Medici, New York, 1969.

5. Neilson, William A. "Machiavelli."Webster's Biographical Dictionary, Springfield, G. & C. Merrian Company, 1971, p. 944.



This page was prepared by Isaac & Erik, Grade 8, Riverdale Junior Secondary School.