Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian statesman and philosopher. Born into affluence, he managed to secure a high governmental position when only in his late twenties. After a successful decade in state service, Machiavelli was mistreated by the notoriously corrupt Medici family – he was tortured and sent to prison where his major work The Prince was written in 1513. His other politically renowned volume, Discourses on Livy was also written in prison a few years later. Both texts...

