ABSTRACT
Niccolo Machiavelli, one of Italy’s great Renaissance thinkers and writers, was born in Florence in 1469. The end of the Medici reign ushered in a real republican government, and Machiavelli entered the political stage by gaining employment as the Second Chancellor of the Republic. Cesare figures prominently in Machiavelli’s letters and writings and seems to have inspired many of the princely qualities that have become synonymous with Machiavellianism. This chapter discusses the military and political career of this warrior prince, especially how Cesare illustrates Machiavelli’s radical moral reasoning. Machiavelli’s political career ended when the Medici family overthrew the Florentine Republic and restored itself as the ruling dynasty. He wrote the most famous and the most infamous book on politics ever written, The Prince. In The Prince, Machiavelli makes sweeping claims about human nature and morality, while also providing a unique understanding of the interplay of power, fortune, and necessity.
