Machivelli's The Prince

Considered one of the greatest political philosophers of Italy’s Renaissance, Niccolo Machiavelli changed domestic Florentine into a powerhouse Republic. In 1512, Piero de’ Medici overthrew the republic and returned to power; Machiavelli was deprived from his position, imprisoned and tortured. Disappointed and bitter, he retired from public work, and wrote his most famous work, The Prince in 1532. Personally, Machiavelli wrote this document to Prince Lorenzo de’ Medici, who was the son of Piero de’ Medici, telling him the best way gain and maintain power. In this letter, he discusses how to make empires bigger and how to keep people (from new and old territories) loyal in the king’s greatest time of need; to fight and conquer more land. He wrote this letter pointing out all of his mistakes hoping no one else would make the same mistakes he did. However, the most revolutionary aspect about The Prince is its separation of politics and ethics.
The Prince describes polit...