The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli

The Prince (Italian: Il Principe [il ˈprintʃipe]; Latin: De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli in the form of a realistic instruction guide for new princes. As a remarkable general theme, The Prince appears to take it for granted that immoral acts are justified if they can help achieve political glory. Each part of The Prince has been extensively commented on over centuries. The work has a recognizable structure, for the most part indicated by the author himself. Machiavelli's writings continue to be a provocative examination of leadership and government that poses age-old issues regarding the nature of power and the decisions that rulers must make to preserve it. It can be summarized as follows.