The Qualities of the prince

The Qualities of the prince

The qualities of the prince

Niccolo Machiavelli was an aristocrat whose fortunes wavered according to the shifts in power in Florence. When Florence's famed Medici princes were returned to power in 1512 after eighteen years of banishment, Machiavelli did not fare well. He was suspected of crimes against the state and imprisoned, Even though he was not guilty, he had to learn to support himself as a writer instead of continuing his career in civil service.

His works often contrast two forces: luck (one's fortune) and character (one's virtues). His own character outlasted his bad luck in regard to the Medicis, and he was returned to a position of responsibility. The prince (1513), his most celebrated work, was a general treatise on the qualities the prince (i.e., a ruler) must have to maintain his power, in a more particular way; it was directed at the Medicis to encourage them to save Italy from the incursions of France and Spain.