Vol. 7 — October 2026
Cover of The Prince

The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli · English

Niccolò Machiavelli wrote The Prince around 1513, after losing his post in the Florentine government, and it was published in 1532, five years after his death.

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Pagera Editor's Note

Niccolò Machiavelli wrote The Prince around 1513, after losing his post in the Florentine government, and it was published in 1532, five years after his death. In twenty-six short chapters he describes how principalities are acquired and held, why a prince needs his own army, and which qualities a ruler must show, judging politics by how people actually behave rather than how they ought to. The book closes with an appeal to free Italy from foreign armies. This edition adds a biographical introduction, Machiavelli's account of how Cesare Borgia (Duke Valentino) disposed of his rebellious captains, and his Life of Castruccio Castracani of Lucca.

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