NICCOLÒ MACHIAVELLI (1469-1527), a Florentine statesman and political theorist. After holding office in the restored Florentine republic and discharging various missions abroad, he was exiled on suspicion of conspiracy against the Medici, but was subsequently restored to some degree of favour. He turned his experience to advantage in his writings, which include "Arte della guerra" (The art of war, written in 1520) and a history of Florence (Storie Fiorentine, 1525). His comedy "Mandragola" (1518) is a powerful satire. His best-known work was "Il Principe" (The Prince), written in 1513, a treatise on statecraft by an acute observer of the contemporary political scene with an idealistic vision of an Italian saviour who should expel all foreign usurpers. He teaches that the lessons of the past, of Roman history in particular, should be applied to the present, an that the acquisition and effective use of power may necessitate unethical methods.
