Niccolò Machiavelli
At the age of 12 my mother
gave me a copy of Machiavelli’s ‘Prince’ to
read. A few years later my father passed me a well worn copy of Sun
Tzu’s ‘Art of War. Fundamentally I believe that most Western great
enterprises benefit from Machiavelli’s philosophy, and the converse is
true in the East with Sun Tzu. To understand the world in which we
live, especially that of espionage, terrorism, and war in its many
guises then Machiavelli’s writings are essential reading for all. I
enclose below with notes one of Machiavelli’s greatest works: ‘The
Prince’.
Machiavelli was one of the greatest political and military theorists of Western civilization. Voltaire said, "Machiavelli taught Europe the art of war; it had long been practiced, without being known." For Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), war was war, and victory the supreme aim to which all other considerations must be subordinated.
Machiavelli was one of the greatest political and military theorists of Western civilization. Voltaire said, "Machiavelli taught Europe the art of war; it had long been practiced, without being known." For Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), war was war, and victory the supreme aim to which all other considerations must be subordinated.
Niccolò Machiavelli - Biography
Niccolò Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469 in Florence, Italy. He is known for being a political philosopher, historian, writer, statesman, and diplomat.
Machiavelli is best known for his famous, influential work, "The Prince" (1513). This brought him a reputation of:
amoral cynicism,
being associated with corrupt
government,
Diabolical (Showing the cunning
or ingenuity or wickedness typical of a devil).
Machiavellian and Machiavellianism are two concepts coined from
Machiavelli's views as stated in The Prince. Machiavelli is misunderstood because people judge him purely on the prince and because they do not read his Discourses as well.
Many people criticize Machiavelli's drastic suggestions in The Prince. These people do not consider the state Italy was in when The Prince was written. Machiavelli wrote The Prince to help save Italy from frequent foreign invasions. According to those that knew Machiavelli, he was a religious and moral man.
The Prince
The prince was written in a time of large-scale blackmail, violence and political conflicts. political instability, fear, invasion, intrigue, Italy was repeatedly won and controlled by foreigners.The prince was Machiavelli's practical guide to Lorenzo Di Medici to act in this environment. In the final chapter of the prince, Machiavelli calls for an end to this chaos, by suggesting Italy stand together with an army of their own against foreign invaders.
Machiavelli wrote The Prince to help Lorenzo the Magnificent Di Medici to stay in power. He also wrote it to get back an advisory position in the Medici government. Unfortunately, Lorenzo did not agree with the suggestions in the book, so Machiavelli did not get a job.
The Prince was different from the other documents of the time in that the prince had practical suggestions on how to deal with the current, existing problems of the period. The other documents were much more theoretical.
There is a difference of opinion by readers of the prince, whether Machiavelli is essentially a good, religious person or someone that is bad and cruel.
For example, Machiavelli praise Caesar Borgia, a cruel, vicious, dictator - hated and despised by many. Does this mean Machiavelli agrees that Caesar’s actions are justified? Machiavelli thought that Caesar's quick and deliberate qualities were just what is required to unite Italy. Machiavelli admired the qualities, not Caesar as a person.
The Prince was written in 1513 but only published in 1532 after Machiavelli's death. In 1559 The Prince appeared on the pope's Index of Prohibited Books. The following are some world leaders that studied and put suggestions from The Prince into practice: Cromwell, Frederick the Great, Louis the XIV, Napoleon, Bismarck and Kennedy.
Machiavelli's occupations
In 1498 Machiavelli was made the head of the second chancery. This is an office of archives for public or ecclesiastic records. Machiavelli was the secretary of a council that held diplomatic negotiations in the state.This included missions to the French king (1504, 1510-11), the Holy See (1506), and the German emperor (1507-8). It was during these diplomatic missions that Machiavelli could study political tactics.
For example, in 1504 he spend 5 months in France and studied how a strong nation is united by the ruling of one prince. In 1502 he saw how Cesare Borgia revenged his rebellious captians at Sinigaglia.
When Piero Soderini became chief magistrate, Machiavelli worked for him. Machiavelli persuaded him to pass a law in 1505 to have a small army of Italian soldiers. In 1509 Machiavelli led this small army to help free Pisa. They succeeded.
Machiavelli was suspected as a conspirator involved in the downfall of Gonfaloniere Soderini. He was arrested and later tortured for this - he continued saying that he was innocent. Later, when he was released from prison, he was forced to retire from public life. He was banished to his country estate at San Casciano. This is where he wrote The Prince, Discourses and two plays, amongst some other minor works as well.
From 1521 till 1525 he was employed as a historiographer. Machiavelli's other major works
History of Florence, (1525)
In
this work, Machiavelli explains the historical records of Florence in
terms of its causes and its effects.
Discourse on the First Ten Books
of Titus Livius (1531) This
is Machiavelli's comments on the History of Rome as written by the
Roman historian Titus Livius. This is commonly known just as: The Discourses
Life of Castruccio Castracani,
(1520) This
is the biography of Castruccio Castracani.
On the Art of War, (1521) Machiavelli's
main point in this work is the considerable advantage of using your own
troops over using mercenary troops.
The Mandrake, (1524) This
is a biting play (satire) on the corruption of the Italian society
during his time.
Machiavelli also wrote many
letters, poems and state papers. Italy's leaders during Machiavelli's life
Lorenzo's son, Piero de'Medici,
was his successor,
Piero de'Medici was followed by
the Dominican monk, Savonarola. He set up a true Florentine Republic.
A second Republic was set up
under Soderini in 1498, the follower of Savonarola.
From 1512 the Medici's ruled
Florence once again
In 1527 the citizens of Firenze
overthrew the Medici rule and established the Third Republic of
Firenze. Machiavelli wanted to work for this new government, but was
not allowed to - he worked too long for the Medici and was not trusted.
He died of ill health 7on June
22, 1527.
Unfortunately Machiavelli did not
live to see Italy unified as he wanted it to be. This only happened
more than 300 years later.
Machiavellian and Machiavellianism - definitions
Machiavellian
Of, like, or befitting
Machiavelli.
being or acting in accordance with the principles of government analyzed in Machiavelli's The Prince, in which political expediency is placed above morality and the use of craft and deceit to maintain the authority and carry out the policies of a ruler is described.
being or acting in accordance with the principles of government analyzed in Machiavelli's The Prince, in which political expediency is placed above morality and the use of craft and deceit to maintain the authority and carry out the policies of a ruler is described.
Characterized by subtle or
unscrupulous cunning, deception, expediency, or dishonesty:
Example:
He resorted to Machiavellian tactics in order to get ahead.
A follower of the principles
analyzed or described in The Prince, esp. with reference to techniques
of political manipulation.
Niccolò Machiavelli – his views
Machiavelli: Principality and Republic
Among the most widely-read of the Renaissance thinkers was Niccolò Machiavelli, a Florentine politician who retired from public service to write at length on the skill required for successfully running the state. Impatient with abstract reflections on the way things "ought" to be, Machiavelli focussed on the way things are, illustrating his own intensely practical convictions with frequent examples from the historical record. Although he shared with other humanists a profound pessimism about human nature, Machiavelli nevertheless argued that the social benefits of stability and security can be achieved even in the face of moral corruption.
In 1513 Machiavelli wrote his best-known work, Il Principe (The Prince). Dedicated to Lorenzo de' Medici, this little book offers practical advice on how to rule a city like sixteenth-century Florence. Its over-all theme is that the successful prince must exhibit virtù [variously translated as "strength," "skill," or "prowess"] in both favorable and adverse circumstances. This crucial quality of leadership is not the same as the virtuous character described by ethical philosophers, since Machiavelli held that public success and private morality are entirely separate. The question is not what makes a good human being, but what makes a good prince.
Since all governments are either republics or principalities, Machiavelli noted, their people will be accustomed either to managing their own affairs or to accepting the leadership of a prince. (For that reason, the safest princes are those who inherit their rule over people used to the family.) A prudent leader, however, will be able to anticipate problems long before they actually arise, using virtù to forestall what would otherwise be great difficulties. Whatever vitality a former republic may have, then, Machiavelli counselled that it either be destroyed or ruled carefully by a resident prince. (Prince 5)
One of the most obvious ways of doing so is by the careful use of military forces, and to this Machiavelli devoted great attention. In fact, in a separate work entitled L'Arte della guerra (The Art of War) (1520) he offered extensive advice on the acquisition, management, and employment of the army of the state. In The Prince he was content to distinguish types of forces which one might acquire, noting the advantages and disadvantages of each, and to emphasize that such matters are the most vital component of any prince's interest. (Prince 14)
Leadership Qualities
Machiavelli's insistence on the practicality of his political advice is most evident in his consideration of the personality, character, and conduct of the successful ruler. (Prince 15) No matter what idealistic notions are adopted as principles of private morality, he argued, there is no guarantee that other people will follow them, and that puts the honorable or virtuous individual at a distinct disadvantage in the real world. In order to achieve success in public life, the ruler must know precisely when and how to do what no good person would ever do.
Although private morality may rest on other factors—divine approval, personal character, or abstract duties, for example—in public life only the praise and blame of fellow human beings really counts. Thus, Machiavelli supposed, the ruler needs to acquire a good reputation while actually doing whatever wrong seems necessary in the circumstances. (Prince 18) Thus, rulers must seem to be generous while spending their money wisely, appear to be compassionate while ruling their armies cruelly, and act with great cunning while cultivating a reputation for integrity. Although it is desirable to be both loved and feared by one's subjects, it is difficult to achieve both, and of the two, Machiavelli declared, it is far safer for the ruler to be feared. (Prince 17)
Since the modern state is too complex to be managed by any single human being, the effective ruler will naturally need to have advisors who assist in governance. Choosing the right people for these jobs and employing their services appropriately, Machiavelli supposed, is among the practical skills most clearly associated with good leadership. (Prince 22) A good ruler will invariably choose competent companions who offer honest advice in response to specific questions and carry out the business of the state without regard for their private interests; such people therefore deserve the rewards of honor, wealth, and power that unshakably secure their devotion to the leader. Ineffective leaders, on the other hand, surround themselves with flatterers whose unwillingness to provide competent advice is a mark of their princes' inadequacy.
All of this talk about skillful leadership would be pointless, of course, if human beings do not in fact have control over their own actions, but must constantly live at the mercy of blind fate or fortune. In the end, Machiavelli argued that even if sheer luck determines the greater portion of our destinies, we can still take full responsibility for whatever remains. (Prince 25) Acknowledging the possibilities for failure, the skillful ruler does better to act boldly than to try to calculate every possible eventuality.
Chapter by Chapter Outline of The Prince
Chapter 1 - Types of territories
A
very short chapter that names the types of territories ruled by a
prince and how he acquires them.
Chapter 2 - Hereditary states Describes
the ease and difficulties of holding hereditary states
Chapter 3 - Mixed principalities
Describes
how new mixed principalities (principalities that are members of a
state) are to be taken and held.
Chapter 4 - Governing
principalities Contrasts
the benefits and drawbacks of governing principalities using either
servants or barons.
Chapter 5 - Free principalities Suggests
three ways to govern cities and principalities that were used to live
under their own laws.
Chapter 6 - New principalities Describe
how to acquire new principalities using armies or your own abilities.
Chapter 7 - Armies of others Explains
the dangers of using the armies of others or good fortune to get and
keep principalities.
Chapter 8 - Be wicked! Describes
how other princes acquired principalities primarily through being
wicked. Suggest how a prince that is not wicked should use wickedness
if he has to.
Chapter 9 - Civil principalities
Describes
how civil principalities get created by the people or by nobles.
Suggest how a prince of such a principality should act toward the
people and the nobles.
Chapter 10 - Fortified towns Describes
when to fortify towns and when fortification is useless.
Chapter 11 - Principalities of
the church Explains
why principalities of the church are held so easily.
Chapter 12 - Types of armies Describes
three types of armies: mercenaries (hired soldiers), auxiliaries, and
mixed armies. Describes the uselessness of mercenary armies and
mercenary captains.
Chapter 13 - Auxiliary armies Describes
the dangers of auxiliary armies. Describe the strength of having your
own army, consisting only of people from your principality.
Chapter 14 - The art of war Stresses
the critical importance for a prince to know the art of war. Describes
what to study and why to study it. Stresses the importance of always
being busy studying the art of war.
Chapter 15 - Qualities of a
prince Lists
all the qualities a prince must appear to have. Also lists the
qualities a prince should stay away from.
Chapter 16 - Mean vs. liberal Explains
why a prince should prefer being considered mean and not liberal.
Chapter 17 - Love, hate and fear
Explains
the dangers if a prince is being hated. Also explains why being feared
is better than being loved.
Chapter 18 - Being like a lion
and fox Describe
how a prince should be like a lion and like a fox. Lists the advantages
and disadvantages of being like a lion and a fox. Lists five important
qualities a prince must work hard at.
Chapter 19 - Why people hate Describes
what causes people to hate their prince. Explain why a prince should
never be hated. Discuss why conspiracies seldom succeed. Describe why
France is such a well governed kingdom.
Chapter 20 - Fortresses Describes
the benefits, dangers and sometimes uselessness of fortresses.
Chapter 21 - Dignity rules Describes
how a prince should conduct himself with dignity to get and keep
renown.
Chapter 22 - Intellectual
secretaries Describe
why a prince must select only the best intellectuals as his secretaries.
Chapter 23 - Flatterers Explain
why flatterers should be avoided.
Chapter 24 - Italy Explain
why the princes of Italy have lost their states. Suggest ways how these
shortcomings can be addressed.
Chapter 25 - Fortune Describe
the role of fortune (fate) in human affairs. Suggest how to prepare
against bad fortune. Explain why it is dangerous to rely on fortune to
be a successful prince. Explain why it is difficult to change your ways
if your fortune changes.
Chapter 26 - Lorenzo, please
save Italy ! Makes
an urgent plea for Lorenzo de’ Medici to become prince to save Italy
from constant foreign invaders.
top
BELOW IS A CHAPTER BY CHAPTER SYNOPSIS OF THE PRINCE
Chapter
1 to Chapter 7
Chapter 1
Republics or principalities hold
power and rule over people.
Principalities are either hereditary, or they are new.
Chapter 2 Principalities are either hereditary, or they are new.
The prince only deals with how
principalities should be ruled and preserved An inherited principality
is easier to rule than a new one - all you have to do is not break
their old rules.
Chapter 3 People change their rules
willingly, in the hope that the new ruler will be better than the
current one.
Out of necessity the current prince also burdens his people in establishing a new principality. The current prince also made enemies with those that were injured in seizing the principality.
Out of necessity the current prince also burdens his people in establishing a new principality. The current prince also made enemies with those that were injured in seizing the principality.
Even if you have a strong army
you still need the goodwill of the people to keep a principality. It is
easy to lose a new principality because a new prince can not
immediately reward those that helped him. As soon as a principality is
won, you should get rid of the rebels and strengthen yourself in your
weakest places.
Principalities in your country
and of the same language as your country are easier to hold than if
they are not. It is even easier to hold if this principality has not
been used to self-government. When taking over a principality you only
have to do two things, kill the previous prince and his whole family
and do not change the current laws and taxes. Taking over a
principality in a country that differs from your language, customs and
laws are much more difficult. The best way to make this easier is to go
and stay in this principality. When you are on the spot, problems are
easily spotted and fixed before they get out of hand. You can also
prevent you officials from plundering the country. It is difficult to
take over a principality if its prince stays there - in the
principality.
You can also send colonies to
principalities to help holding it. Sending cavalry and infantry is much
more expensive. Colonies are more faithful to you and it injures the
people less than cavalry. People should be treated well or be crushed.
If you injure someone only lightly they can still take revenge, if you
crush them they can not revenge.
Armed men just consume the states
income. Colonies are the best option.
A prince should be careful that a
foreigner does not come and get more power than he has. Neighbouring
states not taken over should not be allowed to become too powerful. The
prince must remain the master of the whole country. If you do not do
this, you will be taken over, or otherwise you will constantly have
power struggle difficulties.
Sensible princes should prepare for the future too. Minor problems should be addressed immediately before it gets out of hand. To foresee problems is difficult, but when you see future problems, act to fix this at once.
Sensible princes should prepare for the future too. Minor problems should be addressed immediately before it gets out of hand. To foresee problems is difficult, but when you see future problems, act to fix this at once.
Keep your weak and powerless
friends secure and protected. They will then come to you for help.
You should not weaken yourself, especially by helping other to become more powerful.
You should not weaken yourself, especially by helping other to become more powerful.
It is natural for men to want to
acquire. If they do they are praised. If they are unable to acquire,
they get stupid. It is easy to understand that when you do not observe
these rules, after you take a principality, you will lose it.
To hold a principality a prince must understand statecraft and war craft.
"He who is the cause of another becoming powerful is ruined"
To hold a principality a prince must understand statecraft and war craft.
"He who is the cause of another becoming powerful is ruined"
Chapter 4
A principality is either governed
by a prince and servants or by a prince and barons. Barons rule their
states. If a prince rules using servants he is regarded much higher
because he is the only ruler in the country.
Countries with one prince and servants are difficult to take over. Everyone is supporting the prince - they can not help you in your takeover. Servants do not have the people following them, so if you corrupt them, they can not help you.
Once you take over such a country and you kill the prince and his family, is easy to rule: there is no one with power to fear.
A country with barons is much easier to take over - there is always some barons that are unhappy about something that you can win over. Such people make a takeover easier, but makes it more difficult to hold afterwards.
If you know these rules, it is easy to understand why someone holds onto an empire, while another prince loses an empire. Holding a state has more to do with uniformity in a state than with the ability of the prince.
Countries with one prince and servants are difficult to take over. Everyone is supporting the prince - they can not help you in your takeover. Servants do not have the people following them, so if you corrupt them, they can not help you.
Once you take over such a country and you kill the prince and his family, is easy to rule: there is no one with power to fear.
A country with barons is much easier to take over - there is always some barons that are unhappy about something that you can win over. Such people make a takeover easier, but makes it more difficult to hold afterwards.
If you know these rules, it is easy to understand why someone holds onto an empire, while another prince loses an empire. Holding a state has more to do with uniformity in a state than with the ability of the prince.
Chapter 5
There are three ways to handle a
state that has been used to being free, living under their own laws.
Ruin them go and stay there in person permit them to live under their
own laws, establish your own small government there
Having such a small government run by you has its advantages - they support you because they cannot live without your support.
A prince that holds a city by keeping it free, will hold it more easily than by any other means.
If you do not ruin a city used to freedom, they will want to regain their freedom and therefore stand in unity against you. You must ruin them, or go and stay there ruling them.
Cities or countries used to being ruled are easy to overtake and to become the new ruler.
Having such a small government run by you has its advantages - they support you because they cannot live without your support.
A prince that holds a city by keeping it free, will hold it more easily than by any other means.
If you do not ruin a city used to freedom, they will want to regain their freedom and therefore stand in unity against you. You must ruin them, or go and stay there ruling them.
Cities or countries used to being ruled are easy to overtake and to become the new ruler.
Chapter 6
A wise prince should imitate and
follow in the footsteps of other great leaders before him. Imitation
will not equal you with their abilities. Princes should aim very high,
if they hit a target much lower, it was still worth it to aim high.
A prince has much less difficulty in holding a principality he won by his own ability than a prince that got a principality by good fortune. If you stay in your new principality, it is easier to keep than if you were to try and rule it from afar.
Princes with high abilities can recognize opportunities and take advantage of it - because of their abilities.
Nothing is more dangerous, difficult and uncertain than too introduce a new order of things. Your enemies will be those that had greatest advantage from the old order of things. Those people that will not benefit from your new order of things will not support it enthusiastically.
When you introduce a new order of things, those hostile to you will have their reasons to attack you and your defenders will not be enthusiastic to defend you.
If you want to introduce a new order of things, praying and relying on others does not work. You should only rely on yourself and use force. It might be easy to persuade people, but to keep them persuaded, you might have to use force. You must be able to keep the multitude of people to believe.
Dangers and difficulties are in the establishing of new enterprises only. Once established, you will be secure, powerful, honoured and happy.
A prince has much less difficulty in holding a principality he won by his own ability than a prince that got a principality by good fortune. If you stay in your new principality, it is easier to keep than if you were to try and rule it from afar.
Princes with high abilities can recognize opportunities and take advantage of it - because of their abilities.
Nothing is more dangerous, difficult and uncertain than too introduce a new order of things. Your enemies will be those that had greatest advantage from the old order of things. Those people that will not benefit from your new order of things will not support it enthusiastically.
When you introduce a new order of things, those hostile to you will have their reasons to attack you and your defenders will not be enthusiastic to defend you.
If you want to introduce a new order of things, praying and relying on others does not work. You should only rely on yourself and use force. It might be easy to persuade people, but to keep them persuaded, you might have to use force. You must be able to keep the multitude of people to believe.
Dangers and difficulties are in the establishing of new enterprises only. Once established, you will be secure, powerful, honoured and happy.
Chapter 7
To rise to the top by fortune is
easy, to stay at the top after fortune has left you is difficult. You
must have the necessary knowledge and ability to be a prince, you can
not buy it.
Becoming a prince overnight lack the necessary foundations when difficulties are encountered.
If not laid no foundations before you became prince, you must still lay these foundations afterwards. This is very dangerous and difficult to do.
You can become a prince through fortune or through your abilities.
One of the best pieces of advice for a new prince - lay your solid foundations beforehand.
You should weaken others by letting their followers follow you. Do this by paying them well and honouring them appropriately (according to rank). Scatter the followers of others.
It is worthy to note that one way to lay your foundations is to eliminate the leaders, make their followers your friends by helping them prosper. When rulers plunder their followers, rather than rule well, the country is full of violence, robbery and fights - there is no union.
Win all gentlemen over to yourself.
Some features of good foundations are: boldness, ability, laying firm foundations fast.
Alexander is an excellent example of all the following actions necessary to secure a new principality:
Becoming a prince overnight lack the necessary foundations when difficulties are encountered.
If not laid no foundations before you became prince, you must still lay these foundations afterwards. This is very dangerous and difficult to do.
You can become a prince through fortune or through your abilities.
One of the best pieces of advice for a new prince - lay your solid foundations beforehand.
You should weaken others by letting their followers follow you. Do this by paying them well and honouring them appropriately (according to rank). Scatter the followers of others.
It is worthy to note that one way to lay your foundations is to eliminate the leaders, make their followers your friends by helping them prosper. When rulers plunder their followers, rather than rule well, the country is full of violence, robbery and fights - there is no union.
Win all gentlemen over to yourself.
Some features of good foundations are: boldness, ability, laying firm foundations fast.
Alexander is an excellent example of all the following actions necessary to secure a new principality:
win friends
overcome by force or fraud
make yourself loved and feared by
people
be followed and admired by his
soldiers
eliminate those with the power or
reason to hurt you
change from the old ways to your
new order of things
be strict and generous as
required
destroy disloyal soldiers,
establish loyal soldiers
have friends in princes and kings
that help you with enthusiasm, and are careful not to differ from you
People hurt others out of fear or
hatred.
Chapter
8 to Chapter 15
Chapter 8
Most frequently a private person becomes a prince through fortune or his own genius abilities. A third way is through wickedness.
For example, you can become a prince by rising through the ranks through clever, step by step, wickedness.
Becoming a prince primarily by being a wicked genius is also full of dangers and problems. If you have no mercy, no religion, kill people and deceive your friends you might be able to get an empire - you will not have any glory however. Such genius wickedness could be respected, but never celebrated.
You may be cruel at one blow if this is necessary for your security. You should not persist in evil - only when you can use this for the advantage of your people. Princes that use evil once (as required) are more successful than princes that continue to use evil more and more every day.
If a prince seizes a state, all the required injuries should be inflicted at one stroke. This way it is not necessary to every day be a little evil. Injuries should be inflicted once, swiftly - so that it may be forgotten. A prince should however deliver frequent, small benefits to his people so that its positive effects last longer.
Chapter 9
This chapter describes how a private person favoured by the people or by the nobles becomes prince.
people not wishing to be ruled
and oppressed
nobles that wish to rule and
oppress
A principality is created by nobles by selecting one of themselves as prince so that at least one of them can rule.
A principality is created by the people by selecting on of themselves as prince to help defend themselves against the nobles.
A prince selected among the nobles to be prince has difficulty because the other nobles consider themselves equal to the prince. Such a prince has difficulty in ruling the nobles.
A prince selected from the people has few people around to obey him
A prince can never fully secure himself against the too many people, but can secure himself against the fewer in number nobles.
Hostile nobles may abandon or rise up against you, people can only abandon you. Nobles either bind themselves too your fortune, or not. Those who bind themselves to you should be loved and honoured. You should always regard those not binding with you to be your enemies. In difficult times they are the ones that help to ruin you.
Someone that becomes prince through the favour of the people should keep them friendly towards him by not oppressing them.
Someone that becomes prince through the favour of the nobles should make the people friendly towards him by protecting them. "I repeat, it is necessary for a prince to have the people friendly, otherwise he has no security in adversity.”
Not any private citizen can just rely on people to support him - the builds on muddy foundations. However, a prince that has proven himself to be courageous, energetic, a worthwhile and able leader, can rely on the people and will not be let down.
It is misleading too rely on people in quiet times to think they agree and will die for him, for when difficult times come, they do not agree and is not willing to die for him. The way a wise prince can make the people to be faithful to him is to always create the circumstances under which they need him.
Chapter 10
A prince either has abundant money and men to support him, or, always need the help of others.
Princes in constant need of the help of others should fortify their towns well. It is not easy to attack a well-fortified town, where the prince is not hated by his people. Such a well-fortified town is even stronger when there are supplies inside to last the town a year, and when the military holds frequent exercises.
Anyone attacking such a fortified city with its powerful prince will be driven off in disgrace.
The wise prince should support his people especially after their houses have been burnt and possessions ruined in defence of him.
Chapter 11
Ecclesiastical principalities do not require ability or good fortune for a prince to get hold of. These principalities are sustained by all-powerful religious laws. Princes of such principalities do not rule, people are not ruled. These principalities used to have little worldly power, but they now have a great deal. The short, 10 year life of a pope is not enough to make a considerable difference.
Chapter 12
The most important foundations of new and old states are good laws and good armies.
A prince can defend his state using mercenaries, auxiliaries, or a mix of these two.
Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous for the following reasons:
they are disunited,
ambitious and without discipline,
unfaithful,
brave before friends, but cowardly before enemies;
they have neither the fear of God nor fidelity to men
In peace they rob you; in war they let the enemy rob you. They are in
it only for the money - however their small salaries are not worth
dying for. ambitious and without discipline,
unfaithful,
brave before friends, but cowardly before enemies;
they have neither the fear of God nor fidelity to men
If mercenary captains are capable, they only aspire for their own greatness - they try to oppress you. Mercenary captains that are not capable leaders is worthless in helping you defend your state.
The best way to win a war is if the prince himself leads as captain and use the citizens of his states as soldiers.
The best way to defend yourself is by using your own citizens as soldiers. Mercenaries are useless.
Ways to reduce tiredness and dangers in war are:
do not kill, take prisoners
do not attack towns at night
do not attack encampments at night
do not fight in the winter
Chapter 13 do not attack towns at night
do not attack encampments at night
do not fight in the winter
Using auxiliaries to fight your wars lets you lose two ways:
if they lose the war, you lose
the war
if they win the war, you are help
captive by them and their skills
The wise prince always use his own soldiers and own army and never
auxiliaries. A wise prince does not consider a war won with auxiliaries
a victory for the prince himself - it is only a victory for the
auxiliaries. You should also use your own weapons, not those of others.
Armies of mercenaries and your own people is better than just mercenaries or just auxiliaries, however armies made up only of your own people is always the best way to defend your state and attack other states.
"I conclude, therefore, that no principality is secure without having its own forces"
Chapter 14
A prince should constantly be busy studying the art of warfare. This art belongs to princes only.
Knowing the art of war enables you to rise from a citizen to being a prince. Not knowing this art causes princes to become private citizens.
A prince should always have the art of war in his mind. In times of peace he should study the art of war and frequently hold military exercises.
You should study the following about your own country in detail: how the valleys open out how plains lay the nature of rivers and marshes. This knowledge enables a prince to be much more able to defend his country.
Such a study enables a prince to study other countries easier. There are similarities between valleys, plains, rivers and hills in all countries. These similarities make it easier to study other countries.
It is essential that a prince undertakes these studies. These studies help a prince to take advantage of the knowledge in surprise attacks and selecting safe places to camp out.
A prince should always discuss military strategy with his friends when in their countries to ensure that he is never surprised by unexpected circumstances.
In order to imitate war victories of other illustrious men and avoid defeats, a prince should study war histories to learn the causes of war victories and defeats.
Chapter 15
Others also wrote about how a prince should conduct himself to be praiseworthy. However, they dealt with the theoretical aspects of this. They also imagined principalities and republics that do not exist in real life.
A prince has to know how to do wrong, and when to use this for this advantage. You need to know this, because just being praiseworthy makes you allow evil things in reality to destroy you. It should appear that a wise prince has all the good qualities one expects of him and none of the bad qualities. However human nature prevents anyone to be perfect.
Virtues just followed because it is virtues might cause your ruin.
Vices must not always be avoided; it might bring security and prosperity.
Chapter 16
You should be liberal and have a reputation of being liberal, otherwise liberality injures you.
Liberality will cause you to give away all your property. Liberality will also require you to tax your people to have money to give away. In the end you will be poor - this helps no-one.
The moment a prince stops being liberal, he is being accused as being greedy.
A wise prince understands that being considered mean is better than being considered liberal. By being mean, you save enough to be able to defend your country and its people. You are also able to engage in large enterprises without taxing your people.
"We have not seen great things done in our time except by those who have been considered mean; the rest have failed.”
Being mean (not liberal) enables a prince to govern. This does not mean you should rob your people.
A prince should sparingly spend what he or his people own. A prince should be liberal in giving away what other people own.
Liberality always leads a prince to be hated and despised. Liberality leads to you having to be greedy to get more (by force) to give away for free. This leads to hate.
Meanness only leads to people finding fault with that - they do not hate you for it.
Chapter 17
Every prince should work towards being considered merciful and not cruel. Do not be totally against being cruel. A lack of cruelty will lead to disorder, chaos, murders and robberies.
A new prince unfortunately has to be cruel initially because being a new prince is full of dangers.
You should consider issues with careful, moderate consideration - not extreme distrust or extreme trust.
It is not possible to love and fear a prince. Being feared is much safer than being loved. In general, people are ungrateful, cowards, greedy and false - do not rely on them. You can not rely on friendships you bought.
People do not care to disappoint a loved one, the fear the fear most. Be feared, they will always keep this fear in mind. Be loved, they will be a traitor to this love when it is to their advantage.
A prince should avoid being hated - that is dangerous - being feared is not dangerous. You can avoid being hated by keeping your hands off the possessions and woman of your people.
When a prince starts robbing his people, he will carry on robbing them more and more.
When with his army, a prince must be cruel in order to keep the army united and to be in control.
A wise prince does not mind being loved or feared. A wise prince is very careful not to be hated - that is dangerous.
Chapter 18
It is most praiseworthy of a prince to be considered trustworthy and not be cunning. However, in real life, princes that used cunning are always more successful than those princes that are always to be trusted fully.
A prince must know and understand when to act like a man and like a beast, as circumstances require both - just one is not enough.
Lions cannot defend themselves against traps, and foxes cannot defend themselves against wolves. You have to be like a fox to see the traps, and like a lion to terrify the wolves. If all people were always totally trustworthy you only had to be like a lion. In reality you have to be like a cunning fox at times. Princes that are cunning and strong as appropriate always succeed better as princes that are only as lions.
A prince will always find someone to deceive - men are too focussed on the present necessities.
The better you understand the nature of mankind, the better you will be able to deceive them with success.
A prince does not have to actually have all perfect good qualities a prince must have. You only must appear to have those qualities. Always acting according to good qualities might harm you - you have to know when to act against it.
Unfortunately a new prince will initially have to act against the nature of good qualities.
Everything a prince says must be filled with these five qualities:
being merciful
be trustworthy
being religious
being kind
being honest
Chapter 19 be trustworthy
being religious
being kind
being honest
As said before, a prince should avoid all things which cause people to hate him.
Violating other's woman and property is the main way to be hated - do not do this.
A prince should guard against being considered:
changeable,
not serious,
womanly,
A prince should endeavour to show his: not serious,
womanly,
greatness
courage
fortitude
gravity importance, seriousness
Your people should know your judgements can not be changed, you can not
be deceived. These qualities will allow you to be held in high regard.
Princes esteemed like this is not easy to attack. courage
fortitude
gravity importance, seriousness
A prince can be attacked from the inside or from the outside. You defend yourself from the outside by having a good army and good allies. If you have a good army you will have good friends.
You can defend yourself from attacks from the inside by avoiding be hated and despised. This is one of the best defences against a conspiracy. For a conspiracy to work, the conspirators need many others that thoroughly hate and despise you.
A conspirator has fear and the prospect of being punished counting against him.
The prince has the majesty of his principality, laws, friends and popular goodwill all counting for him.
After a successful conspiracy, the conspirators have to deal with the fact that they made enemies with the people.
When a prince is held in esteem he does not have to fear a conspiracy, when he is hated, he has to fear conspiracies from everything and everybody. A prince must take great care to ensure everyone is satisfied and contented.
People loved peace, soldiers loved war. Therefore, people loved an uninspiring prince, while soldiers loved a bold, cruel, greedy prince.
Princes can't avoid being hated by some, the must avoid being hated by all. Princes must work very hard to avoid being hated by the most powerful - in most cases the soldiers.
A prince can become hated by doing good or bad works.
A prince can become loved by doing good or bad works.
Sometimes a prince must do bad works to satisfy the needs of those that hate him.
A prince should be careful not to seriously injure those working closest with him. These people will attack and kill you if the hate is strong enough, not caring if they die in the process too.
A prince should not do things unworthy of his imperial majesty. It will cause him to be hated and despised.
Even just keeping sheep, a great indignity for a prince, can eventually lead to so much hate and contempt, that you are killed.
Princes should focus on satisfying the most powerful. In general this is the army, but at times this might be the people.
Being hated leads to a princes' death.
A prince new to a principality can not just imitate others before him to be successful. He must imitate actions from many different princes depending on the current state of affairs.
Chapter 20
It is not possible to judge the effectiveness of factions or fortresses without having all the details about a certain case to help your decision.
New princes always arm his people. By arming them, you become armed. This also makes those that distrust you faithful to you and keep the currently faithful too.
Those you provide with arms become dependant on you; those you cannot provide with arms understand that you can not possibly have arms for everyone.
Disarming people shows people you distrust them. This offends them and leads to hating you. If you disarm your people, you have to rely on mercenaries, which is useless.
Dividing towns into quarrelling factions is not a good idea. Divided cities are always lost when attacked - the weakest party helps the attackers and the remaining parties are unable to resist.
A new prince that overcomes difficulties and dangers lets him earn renown and become great. A wise prince can help this along by secretly fostering hostility against him, so that he can then crush it, to increase his fame.
A prince that wins over those that initially have a bad impression of him, wins over very strong supporters.
Those unhappy with the previous government, helping you to become prince, do not make great friends. They do not necessarily love you; they just did not like the previous government. It is better to make friends with those content in the current government.
The usefulness of fortresses depends on the circumstances - they spare you from injury in one way but cause you injury in the other way.
The best possible fortress is not to be hated by the people. A fortress is of no use if your people hate you. Do not rely on a fortress; rather avoid being hated by the people.
Chapter 21
"NOTHING makes a prince so much esteemed as great enterprises and setting a fine example.”
Always endeavour to gain a reputation of being great and remarkable in all your actions.
A prince must be clear towards any party that he is either a true friend or a sure enemy - a prince should never stand neutral.
If two other parties have a war, the conqueror will not want a neutral, doubtful friend, the loser will hate you for not helping them.
If a party you are friends with, wins, you established a bond of friendship. They will not then attack you too.
If a party you are friends with loses, you form a companionship that may rise in power later.
A prince should prefer not to make alliances with parties stronger than himself, in order to attack others, if he can avoid it.
No government can always just take safe courses of action. At times you will have to just choose the lesser evil.
A prince should encourage his people to practice their skills in peace. You should not discourage others from improving their possessions, especially if this will honour your city or state.
A prince should entertain his people with festivals and shows. At times a prince should associate with clubs and societies as well, but always maintaining the majesty of his rank.
Chapter 22
People form an opinion of a prince depending on the quality of the servants the prince picked for himself. Capable servants indicate a prince is able to recognize ability in servants.
There are three classes of intellects those that can figure things out by themselves those that can appreciate / understand that others comprehend correctly those that do not understand the first class is the best.
Servants that think more of their interests than yours, never makes a good servant.
To keep servants honest, a prince must enrich and honour him, be kind to them and share honours with them.
Servants and princes should trust each other, for the long lasting prosperity of both.
Chapter 23
You must let your men know that they must always tell the truth to you - it does not offend you.
A prince should enquire his advisers about everything, listen to their opinions, but form his own conclusions.
Councillors should understand that the more freely they speak, the more you would prefer them.
You should not be lead by anyone. Listen to all, but form your own opinions.
Do not be totally secretive in your plans. Once these come into effect, you will too easily be influenced by others. You should always take counsel and listen.
Someone that thinks a wise counsel makes a prince wise is wrong. "A prince who is not wise himself will never take good advice"
An inexperienced prince will be unable to unite the different counsels from different counsellors.
Chapter 24
A new prince is watched more closely than a prince that inherits a principality. If a new prince is seen as able he is regarded higher than a prince that inherited a principality.
You are evaluated more by what you do in the present than what you did in the past.
A new prince in a new principality that has manages to establish good laws, a powerful army and useful allies is regarded very highly.
Princes lose their states because of the following reasons:
they do not have their own armies
their people hated them
their nobles hated them
their people hated them
their nobles hated them
If you are powerful enough to defend your state, and do not make the above mistakes, you will not lose your state.
t is a common oversight in people not to make provision for the bad times while they are experiencing good times.
Do not accuse fortune if you lose a principality. You must prepare for stormy times when times are calm.
You should not rely on others to come and help you when things get bad. Your own efforts are the most reliable and long-lasting.
Chapter 25
Too many people believe the world is run by fortune (fate) and that there is nothing you can do to change that.
People believe this because if you consider everyday affairs, only by guessing can you guess how things will turn out - is seems as if we are not in control.
Fortune only controls half of our lives. We are able to control the other half.
Fortune might seem like a raging river, powerful and unstoppable. However if you prepare thoroughly beforehand, when the raging river comes, you can easily direct it using canals you build long beforehand.
A prince might be happy one day and ruined the next. One cause of this is when such princes rely entirely on fortune. When good fortune changes, they are ruined.
A prince should base his actions on the realities of the current situations.
Men achieved riches and glory through using many different, opposite methods. Do not imitate others without thinking. Totally different actions and methods might bring the same results and the same actions and methods by different men in different situations might bring different results.
The way you run your state that leads to success, does not mean that you should always use the same ways under all future circumstances as well. Caution and patience might for example lead to success, but when times and circumstances change, caution and patience might then lead to failure.
Careful, cautious men get ruined when circumstances change. They are not prepared to change what worked for them in the past. They also might not know how to act in ways that does not correspond with their natural ways.
It is better to be adventurous, bold and daring when dealing with fortune. You should be in control, otherwise you will be controlled.
Chapter 26
Many things currently all work together positively making it a perfect time for a new prince.
Troubled times clearly reveal the abilities of a prince.
Italy is ready and willing to follow someone that is prepared to lead them. The current bad state of affairs in Italy begs for someone to protect the people from the current cruelties.
Italy currently has tremendous opportunity for someone to establish new laws and get the country in order. A prince able to do that will be respected in awe.
Italians are strong, capable soldiers, but Italy lacks capable military leaders.
Italy needs its own army to be able to free itself. A prince's own soldiers is always the best, skilfully led by their own prince they admire.
By knowing the limitations of the current best armies, it is possible to come up with a new army with none of these limitations. This is the kind of improvements that will help a new prince rise in power and reputation.
Such a golden opportunity should not be allowed to pass. A prince that frees Italy from the current horrors will be respected, loved, followed, supported and obeyed.