ONE OF THE pioneering texts of political science, The Prince (II principe;1513), written by the Florentine statesman and writer Niccol6 Ma chiavelli (1469-1527), stands among the most original and lasting achievements of Italian Renaissance thought. Conceived as a treatise in the manner of Aristotle on.the acquisition and maintenance of political power, Machiavelli's work analyzes examples from antiquity as well as the contemporary Italian political scene; using these precedents to disclose and buttress his reasoned convictions on the nature of successful rule.

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As a young Florentine envoy to the courts of France and the Italian principalities, Niccol6 Machiavelli (1469-1527) was able to observe firsthand the lives of people strongly united under one powerful ruler. His fascination with that political rarity and his intense desire to see the Medici family assume a similar role in Italy provided the foundation for his "primer for princes." In this classic guide to acquiring and" maintaining political power, Machiavelli used a rational approach to advise prospective rulers, developing logical arguments and alternatives for a number of potential problems, among them governing hereditary monarchies, dealing with colonies and the treatment of conquered peoples. Refreshing in its directness, yet often disturbing in its cold Practicality, The Prince sets down a frighteningly pragmatic formula for political fortune. Starkly relevant to the political upheavals of the 20th century, this calculating prescription for power remains today, nearly 500 years after it was written, a timely and startling lesson in the practice of autocratic rule that continues to be much read and studied by students, scholars and general readers as well.

Dedication 

I. Of the Various Kinds of Princedom, and of the Ways in

    Which They Are Acquired

II. Of Hereditary Princedoms 

  III. OfMixed Princedoms

IV. Why the Kingdom of Darius, Conquered by Alexander,

    Did Not, on Alexander"s Death, Rebel against His

    Successors

V. How Cities or Provinces Which before Their Acquisition

    Have Lived under Their Own Laws Are to Be Governed

  VI. Of New Princedoms Which a Prince Acquires with His

    Own Arms and by Merit

 VII. Of New Princedoms Acquired by the Aid of Others and by

    Good Fortune

 VIII. Of Those Who by Their Crimes Come to Be Princes 

IX. Of the Civil Princedom

X. How the Strength of All Princedoms Should Be Measured

  XI. Of Ecclesiascal Princedoms 

  XII. How Many Different Kinds of Soldiers There Are, and of

    Mercenaries

 XIII. Of Auxiliary, Mixed, and National Arms 

 XIV. Of the Duty of a Prince in Respect of Military Affairs

  XV. Of the Qualities in Respect of Which Men, and Most of

    All Princes, Are Praised or Blamed 

 XVI. Of Liberality and Miserliness

XVII. Of Cruelty and Clemency, and Whether Iikes Better to Be

    Loved or Feared

XVIII. How Princes Should Keep Faith

 XIX. That a Prince Should Seek to Escape Contempt and

    Hatred

  XX. Whether Fortresses, and Certain Other Expedients to

    Which Princes Often Have Recourse, Are Profitable or

    Hurtful

 XXI. How a Prince Should Bear Himself So as to Acquire

    Reputation

XXII. Of the Secretaries of Princes

XXIII. That Flatterers Should Be Shunned

XXIV. Why the Princes of Italy Have Lost Their States

    What Fortune Can Effect in Human Affairs, and How She

    May Be Withstood

XXVI. An Exhortation to Liberate Italy from the Barbarians