To understand the book more completely and Machiavelli's reasons for writing The Prince, it is necessary to understand Machiavelli's life and the times he lived in. When Niccolo Machiavelli was born in the spring of 1469, Italy had attained a high spot in the European community, but it would not last. By the time Machiavelli had reached the age of twenty-five, King Charles VIII of France had driven the ruling Medici family out of the city of Florence, the last resisting Italian principality. The Florentines would not stand for this; they ousted the new ruler out of the city and founded the Florentine republic. Machiavelli soon started work as clerk under Adriani, head of the Second Chancery. Four years past by and in 1498, Machiavelli became Chief Secretary of the Florentine Republic, and then later that year, he succeeded Adriani as head of the Second Chancery.

While in this position as Chief Secr

The first several chapters of The Prince explicate the four types of princedoms and the methods in which they are acquired. Chapter I states that all governments are either republics or princedoms. From there, all princedoms are hereditary, mixed, new, or ecclesiastical. Then, Machiavelli goes on to say that hereditary princedoms are easily maintained, granted that the prince not diverge from his ancestors policies. Mixed princedoms arise when hereditary princedoms acquire new territories. These princedoms are not as easily kept, for two reasons. The first is that the people will replace their leader if they feel it would better conditions. Machiavelli gives five defenses for this situation. The first and best is to reside in the new province. Secondly, a prince should set up colonies to serve as connections to the mother country. A prince should then become the chief defender of the less puissant adjacent territories. Then, he should weaken his more powerful neighbors. For no reason, should a prince allow any foreign power to enter the province. The second reason mixed princedoms are hard to maintain is a prince cannot satisfy the anticipations of those who helped him take over, and he does not want to use excessive actions because he requires the backing of the people.

The dedication and last chapter of book define Machiavelli's motivations for The Prince. Machiavelli dedicated the book to Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici the Magnificent. He did this to gain favor with Medici family and return the public life in Florence. His second motivation lies in the last chapter, where Machiavelli elucidates his hope that a prince will unite Italy, under one sovereign ruler, as Machiavelli observed on his missions to France. Machiavelli believed that redeemer would come from the Medici family and urges the Medici to use the knowledge from his book to redeem and unite Italy.

There are three methods to retaining a newly acquired territory. The first and most definite, is to destroy it. The second is for the prince to go and reside there. Thirdly, the prince may elect to allow the territory to live under its own laws. This method is not the surest way, although it keeps the people happy. The only way to be sure is to first, destroy it, and second, reside in it.

The last several chapters of the book discuss Machiavelli's views on Italy's political situation and his reasons for writing the book. In chapter XXIV, Machiavelli examines the reasons the princes of Italy have lost their princedoms. The first reason given, they all lacked native troops. They hired mercenaries and used auxiliary troops. Their faults have already been stated. The second, the princes did not pacify and befriend their people or they did not limit the power and protect themselves from the nobles. Chapter XXV explains how princes can control their fortune by comparing fortune to a woman. Chapter XXVI, the last chapter, is an essay on how a prince should unite Italy and liberate the Italians from foreign rule

A prince should not be liberal because it requires heavy taxation of the people to maintain the reputation of being liberal. The people will slowly start to dislike the prince, as he requires more taxes. On the other hand, if a prince is miserly, as his princedom grows, he will require less and less taxation on the people. He will present himself, as increasingly liberal and gain favor with is people.

Princes should be very discriminating when they select their secretaries. He should select people who are wise and prudent, who will freely speak their mind, and not flatter him. A prince's counselors should give advice only when asked, and should tell the truth at all times. Once a prince has heard the advice of his counselors, he should make a decision and carry it out. A prince's secretaries are significant choices because princes are judged by the people surrounding them. Th

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Approximate Word count = 2614
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)