Niccolo Machiavelli & The Prince

Machiavelli’s Life (1469-1527) Early life (1469-1494)

Old Florentine family Humanist education

Rise in Florentine politics (1494-1512) Helped depose Savonarola (1498) Secretary of gov’t. agency on warfare &

foreign affairs (1498-1512) Assistant to head of Florentine Rep., Piero

Soderini (1502-1512) Medici depose Soderini & Machiavelli

accused of involvement with plot to overthrow Medici (1512)

Machiavelli’s Life continued… Banishment/absence from politics (1512-

1521) Discourses – on republics The Prince – on principalities

Return to politics/final years (1521-1527) Official historian of Florence + minor gov’t.

jobs Ousted again – this time for ties to Medici

dies from illness

The Prince

principality vs. republic

practical guide vs. idealism (More’s Utopia)

purpose: how a prince is to gain & maintain power Lorenzo di Piero de Medici (1492-

1519)- Duke of Urbino

- Leader of Florence (1513-1519)

Themes in The Prince

1. human nature2. the art of war3. the ends justify the means / abandonment of

Christian morality (amoral politics)4. goodwill vs. hatred5. traits of a prince: virtues vs. vices6. virtú (ability) vs. fortuna (chance) – what role

does each play in how a prince comes to power?

TO DO:1. Record 4-5 supporting quotes or

paraphrases. For each one, cite the chapter number parenthetically.

2. Write a 2-3 sentence summary of the theme.

iPad Directions

Use Pages. Bullet each example. Bullets found under paintbrush

icon (upper right). Title document. Go back to Documents page (upper

left). Hold finger down on current title “Blank” – a box will appear to rename the doc. Title the document following this format: Prince Period 3 Theme 1.

Email me the document. Click on the wrench (upper right). Select “Email Document.” Send it to me in “Word” format.