Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Il Principe

Il Principe

Il Principe by Niccolo Machiavelli, c 1610

In Tutte le opera di Nicolo Machiavelli cittadino et secretario fiorentino

Leather bound volume

SC/0952


The Prince or Il Principe by Niccolo Machiavelli was written in 1513 and is still considered to be one of the most influential political works in the Western world. It is a persuasive account of how political power is won and lost and the role luck plays in the affairs of government. Machiavelli was an Italian philosopher, historian and diplomat who dedicated The Prince to Lorenzo de Medici (1492-1519) Lord of Florence, in the hope of gaining favour and employment with the powerful Medici family. Originally written in his native Italian rather than the scholarly Latin, The Prince was circulated as a manuscript before finally being published in 1532, nearly five years after his death. 


Niccolo Machiavelli

By Sarah Morley, Curator, Research & Discovery

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469–1527) was a philosopher, historian and diplomat that lived in Florence during a time of immense political instability. Although he held a number of positions, his passion was for politics. He entered the Florentine government as head of the Second Chancery and performed many diplomatic duties. In 1512, after a change of power resulted in the Medici family regaining rule, Niccolo fell out of favour and was wrongly accused of participating in a conspiracy to restore the republic. He was arrested and tortured, and on his release he left Florence to pursue a career in writing. It is during this time he produced The Prince. Machiavelli eventually won back a position of respect in the Medici government.