The Prince
Niccolò Machiavelli, historically recognized as one of Italy's most prominent political theorists of the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, witnessed the temporary downturn of his homeland's welfare due to foreign invasions from France, Spain, and Germany. In response to these misfortunes suffered by Italy, Machiavelli penned The Prince, in which he addressed Lorenzo the Magnificent, the contemporary ruler of Florence. In this treatise, Machiavelli articulated his opinions and advice on the subject of statesmanship. Machiavelli devised a genuine system, through the use of historical information, which illustrated his analytical view. It appeared that Machiavelli sincerely hoped that Italy's rulers would abide by his system, and that he predicted a more prosperous future for Italy if they were to do so. In his analyzation, Machiavelli categorized
Machiavelli stressed the study of previous men who have acquired greatness, as he stated that, "a prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent, so that...he will get some tinge of it,"(Machiavelli, 1935, 48). Machiavelli also emphasized the importance of a mutual need for one another between a prince and his subjects. He speculated that when subjects need their prince, they are not prone to revolt, and will defend their prince voluntarily; and that a prince needs his subjects in order to defend and run his territory (Machiavelli, 1935, 89). In the area of defense of a prince's territory, Machiavelli wrote in great detail, and stressed repeatedly the importance of a stable and reliable militia. Mercenaries and auxiliary allies he deemed insufficient, for mercenaries are independent and not obligated to anyone, and auxiliary allies
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Approximate Word count = 603
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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