Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527)


Niccolò Machiavelli was born in the breast of a noble and impoverished family, he lived in Florence in times of Lorenzo and Pedro of Médicis. After the fall of Savonarola in 1498, he was named secretary of the second chancellery responsible for the Exterior Matters and of the War of the city, post that he occupied until 1512.

His diplomatic activity influenced decisively in the formation of his political thought, centered in the operation of the State and in the psychology of its rulers. His main political objective was to preserve the sovereignty of Florence, always threatened by the large European powers.

His failed try to achieve the approach of positions between Luis XII of France and the Pope Julius II, whose clash finished with the rout of the French and the return of the Médicis to Florence, produced his fall in misfortune. Accused of treason, imprisoned and lightly torture victim in 1513, recovers his liberty and withdraws to his house on the outskirts of Florence, where he is dedicated to writing giving as fruit among others his masterpiece, "The prince", the one that would be published after his death.

In "The prince", work inspired in the figure of Caesar Borgia, Machiavelli describes different models of State (the force, the perversion, the chance) and he deduces the most adequate politics for its survival. Since that perspective the psychological profile that the prince should have, is analized and it is clarified which are the human virtues that should predominate in their task of government.

Machiavelli concludes that the prince should pretend to possess certain qualities, to be capable of pretending and to dissemble well and to subordinate all the moral values to the reason of State, incarnate in his person.