Publication of The Prince

1532, Italy

The Prince is a political treatise written almost five centuries ago by Italian philosopher and diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli, offering guidance to princes and rulers on how to gain and maintain political power – even if it requires using cruel or immoral methods. Famously stating “the ends always justify the means”, Machiavelli’s name has become synonymous with ruthlessness and scheming in politics, and The Prince continues to be an important work of political philosophy today.