The Prince, Cesare Borgia with Niccolo Machiavelli

Cesare Borgia seated with Machiavelli. Cesare Borgia (September 13, 1475 - March 12, 1507), Duke of Valentinois, was an Italian condottiero, nobleman, politician, and cardinal with Aragonese origin, whose fight for power was a major inspiration for The Prince by Machiavelli. Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 - June 21, 1527) was an Italian historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He was for many years an official in the Florentine Republic, with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs. He was a founder of modern political science, and more specifically political ethics. He was Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512, when the Medici were out of power. He wrote his masterpiece, The Prince, after the Medici had recovered power and he no longer held a position of responsibility in Florence. Machiavellianism is a widely used negative term to characterize unscrupulous politicians of the sort Machiavelli described in The Prince. The book itself gained enormous notoriety and wide readership because the author seemed to be endorsing this evil behavior. He died in 1527 at the age of 58. Reproduction of painting by Federico Faruffini, 1898

Picture No

12696342

Media ID

47669660

Size

4425px x 3159px (3.3MB)

Credit

LOC/Science Source/Mary Evans