{"product_id":"2940014480451","title":"The Prince","description":"INTRODUCTION\u003cbr\u003eNicolo Machiavelli was born at Florence on 3rd May 1469. He was the\u003cbr\u003esecond son of Bernardo di Nicolo Machiavelli, a lawyer of some repute,\u003cbr\u003eand of Bartolommea di Stefano Nelli, his wife. Both parents were\u003cbr\u003emembers\u003cbr\u003eof the old Florentine nobility.\u003cbr\u003eHis life falls naturally into three periods, each of which singularly\u003cbr\u003eenough constitutes a distinct and important era in the history of\u003cbr\u003eFlorence. His youth was concurrent with the greatness of Florence as\u003cbr\u003ean\u003cbr\u003eItalian power under the guidance of Lorenzo de' Medici, Il Magnifico.\u003cbr\u003eThe downfall of the Medici in Florence occurred in 1494, in which year\u003cbr\u003eMachiavelli entered the public service. During his official career\u003cbr\u003eFlorence was free under the government of a Republic, which lasted\u003cbr\u003euntil 1512, when the Medici returned to power, and Machiavelli lost\u003cbr\u003ehis\u003cbr\u003eoffice. The Medici again ruled Florence from 1512 until 1527, when\u003cbr\u003ethey\u003cbr\u003ewere once more driven out. This was the period of Machiavelli's\u003cbr\u003eliterary\u003cbr\u003eactivity and increasing influence; but he died, within a few weeks of\u003cbr\u003ethe expulsion of the Medici, on 22nd June 1527, in his fifty-eighth\u003cbr\u003eyear, without having regained office.\u003cbr\u003ePage 1\u003cbr\u003eThe Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli\u003cbr\u003eYOUTH -- Aet. 1-25--1469-94\u003cbr\u003eAlthough there is little recorded of the youth of Machiavelli, the\u003cbr\u003eFlorence of those days is so well known that the early environment of\u003cbr\u003ethis representative citizen may be easily imagined. Florence has been\u003cbr\u003edescribed as a city with two opposite currents of life, one directed\u003cbr\u003eby\u003cbr\u003ethe fervent and austere Savonarola, the other by the splendour-loving\u003cbr\u003eLorenzo. Savonarola's influence upon the young Machiavelli must have\u003cbr\u003ebeen slight, for although at one time he wielded immense power over\u003cbr\u003ethe\u003cbr\u003efortunes of Florence, he only furnished Machiavelli with a subject of\u003cbr\u003ea gibe in \"The Prince,\" where he is cited as an example of an unarmed\u003cbr\u003eprophet who came to a bad end. Whereas the magnificence of the\u003cbr\u003eMedicean\u003cbr\u003erule during the life of Lorenzo appeared to have impressed Machiavelli\u003cbr\u003estrongly, for he frequently recurs to it in his writings, and it is to\u003cbr\u003eLorenzo's grandson that he dedicates \"The Prince.\"\u003cbr\u003eMachiavelli, in his \"History of Florence,\" gives us a picture of the\u003cbr\u003eyoung men among whom his youth was passed. He writes: \"They were freer\u003cbr\u003ethan their forefathers in dress and living, and spent more in other\u003cbr\u003ekinds of excesses, consuming their time and money in idleness, gaming,\u003cbr\u003eand women; their chief aim was to appear well dressed and to speak\u003cbr\u003ewith\u003cbr\u003ewit and acuteness, whilst he who could wound others the most cleverly\u003cbr\u003ewas thought the wisest.\" In a letter to his son Guido, Machiavelli\u003cbr\u003eshows\u003cbr\u003ewhy youth should avail itself of its opportunities for study, and\u003cbr\u003eleads\u003cbr\u003eus to infer that his own youth had been so occupied. He writes: \"I\u003cbr\u003ehave received your letter, which has given me the greatest pleasure,\u003cbr\u003eespecially because you tell me you are quite restored in health, than\u003cbr\u003ewhich I could have no better news; for if God grant life to you, and\u003cbr\u003eto me, I hope to make a good man of you if you are willing to do your\u003cbr\u003eshare.\" Then, writing of a new patron, he continues: \"This will turn\u003cbr\u003eout well for you, but it is necessary for you to study; since, then,\u003cbr\u003eyou\u003cbr\u003ehave no longer the excuse of illness, take pains to study letters and\u003cbr\u003emusic, for you see what honour is done to me for the little skill I\u003cbr\u003ehave. Therefore, my son, if you wish to please me, and to bring\u003cbr\u003esuccess\u003cbr\u003eand honour to yourself, do right and study, because others will help\u003cbr\u003eyou\u003cbr\u003eif you help yourself.\"\u003cbr\u003eOFFICE -- Aet. 25-43--1494-1512\u003cbr\u003eThe second period of Machiavelli's life was spent in the service of\u003cbr\u003ePage 2\u003cbr\u003eThe Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli\u003cbr\u003ethe\u003cbr\u003efree Republic of Florence, which flourished, as stated above, from\u003cbr\u003ethe expulsion of the Medici in 1494 until their return in 1512. After\u003cbr\u003eserving four years in one of the public offices he was appointed\u003cbr\u003eChancellor and Secretary to the Second Chancery, the Ten of Liberty\u003cbr\u003eand Peace. Here we are on firm ground when dealing with the events of\u003cbr\u003eMachiavelli's life, for during this time he took a leading part in\u003cbr\u003ethe affairs of the Republic, and we have its decrees, records,\u003cbr\u003eand dispatches to guide us, as well as his own writings. A mere\u003cbr\u003erecapitulation of a few of his transactions with the statesmen and\u003cbr\u003esoldiers of his time gives a fair indication of his activities, and\u003cbr\u003esupplies the sources from which he drew the experiences and characters\u003cbr\u003ewhich illustrate \"The Prince.\"\u003cbr\u003eHis first mission was in 1499 to Catherina Sforza, \"my lady of Forli\"\u003cbr\u003eof\u003cbr\u003e\"The Prince,\" from whose conduct and fate he drew the moral that it\u003cbr\u003eis far better to earn the confidence of the people than to rely on\u003cbr\u003efortresses. This is a very noticeable principle...","brand":"All classic book warehouse","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47070654464240,"sku":"2940014480451","price":0.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940014480451_p0.jpg?v=1763618586","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940014480451","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}