Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (Known as "Father of Modern Political Theory")

Florentine Diplomat, Political Philosopher, Historian, Dramatist

Born 3 May 1469

Florence (Tuscany), Italy

Passed Away 21 June 1527 Florence, Italy

Lifespan 58 years old

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Notice / Correction

"It is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with. No epitaph can match so great a name."

Archival Overview

Renaissance Florentine diplomat considered the father of modern political science, whose works The Prince and Discourses on Livy exposed the realistic mechanics of state power and republican liberty.

Biographical Record

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) served fourteen tumultuous years as Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Florentine Republic, conducting diplomatic missions to Cesare Borgia, King Louis XII of France, and Pope Julius II. Following the Medici restoration in 1512, he was imprisoned, tortured, and exiled to his country estate at Sant'Andrea in Percussina.

In exile, Machiavelli composed The Prince (*Il Principe*) and *Discourses on Livy*. He was the first modern thinker to liberate political analysis from theological idealism, examining power as it actually operates (*la verità effettuale*) through the interplay of individual virtue and cunning (*virtù*) with fickle fortune (*fortuna*).

Key Life Milestones

1513 CE

Composition of 'The Prince' (Il Principe)

Penned his masterpiece on political power, state preservation, and realpolitik while in Sant'Andrea exile.

c. 1517 CE

Writing of 'Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livy'

Authored his comprehensive treatise championing republican self-governance, civic liberty, and citizen militia.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Basilica of Santa Croce (Tomb of Machiavelli)
Florence, Italy

                         GPS: 43.7686, 11.2622                    

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