Machiavelli maintains that any opposition to a ruler's power should be disposed of. He gives the example of Agathocles who had his army quickly and ruthlessly killed the senate of Syracuse and all of the other powerful people in the city so that he could easily take control with no one to oppose him. Machiavelli does not glorify these actions. He merely states that they work.

Machiavelli also put a great value on having a military made up of citizens of the state rather than mercenaries. He concluded that a citizens' army has more to lo

Machiavelli explains that a ruler should have the cunning of a fox and the strength of a lion. Without cunning a ruler is susceptible to tricks and traps, but without a strong military he is likely to be overwhelmed by the opposition. Alexander VI was an especially cunning ruler. He was always deceiving someone. Deceit can often be used to manipulate others.

se if defeated and more to gain if victorious. A citizen's army is also more likely to be loyal to its ruler while mercenaries fight purely for profit. At the moment it becomes more profitable to take some other course of action than to follow the orders of their employer, mercenaries will do so. Machiavelli cites several examples where having an army of mercenaries limited the capabilities of the state's military. King Louis XI employed Swiss mercenaries who fought along side his own troops. In time the French troops were so accustomed to

Some common words found in the essay are:
Niccolo Machiavelli, Duke Milan, Louis XI, Romans Machiavelli, Alexander VI, Francesco Sforza, cunning ruler, Niccolo Prince, mercenaries fought, niccolo machiavelli,
Approximate Word count = 612
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)