The Prince

Niccoló Machiavelli’s The Prince served as a major inspiration for Early Modern leaders. He believed that the job of a ruler (a prince) was to preserve order by any means necessary. He believed that coercion and strong-arming the population were par for the course for an effective ruler, as long as the end result was the increased strength of the state. He described virtú, which he saw as the ability to change the world to align with one’s personal beliefs. Machiavelli admired Cesare Borgia, who ruthlessly built a state in central Italy. Machiavelli admired many Early Modern leaders and served as an inspiration for many more.

Machiavelli

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