SUMMARRY OF THE PRINCE

The Prince begins with an address to Lorenzo de Medici, in which Machiavelli explains
that he is seeking favor with the prince by offering him some of his knowledge. He then
proceeds to classify the various kinds of states: republics, hereditary princedoms,
brand-new princedoms, and mixed principalities. New states are his primary focus, for
those are the hardest to deal with. A conquered state whose original prince was its sole
ruler is difficult to conquer, but easy to maintain; a conquered state in which the prince
shared power with the barons is easy to conquer, but difficult to maintain.
When possible, a prince should strive to rise to power on his own merits and with his
own arms. Relying on friends, good luck, or other peoples arms may make the rise
easier, but holding onto his newfound power will prove a difficult task. Machiavelli
devotes almost an entire chapter to Cesare Borgia, who rose to prominence largely
through connections and his fathers help, but was crafty enough to carve out his own
niche though he wound up failing in the end. Princes who rise to the throne through
crime are another matter altogether: Machiavelli condemns them as wicked, and yet his
words betray his admiration for their cleverness. Cruelty, when well-used, can be
justified.
According to Machiavelli, reliance on mercenaries and auxiliaries for troops is a grave
mistake. A prince must lay strong foundations good laws and good arms and if the
latter is lacking, the former is rendered irrelevant. A state needs both to survive.
Mercenaries are disloyal and divided; foreign auxiliaries come already united under
another master, and so are in a way even more dangerous. The prince himself should
be a student of war and an avid reader of military history.
Reputation is another important element to consider. The front princes put on to appeal
to the populace is often a lie, as Machiavelli notes; the better the liar, the better the
prince. That said, giving out money when it is fiscally irresponsible, just to appear
generous, is a mistake; displaying excessive mercy in order to garner affection can
prove fatal. Better safe than sorry; better to be feared than to be loved.
Machiavelli closes The Prince with a meditation on luck and its role in human affairs,
and a call to unite Italy. He addresses much of this last argument to Lorenzo de Medici,
thereby imposing some semblance of symmetry on his books structure and honing his
theoretical musings into a direct exhortation.
CHARACTERS:
Character List
Niccolo Machiavelli: The author of the book, he served as a government official in the
Republic of Florence until the Medici family regained control. Forced out of his position,
Machiavelli utilized his new found extra time to write The Prince. He dedicated the book
to Lorenzo de' Medici in hopes that the prince would read it and restore Florence, Italy,
and possibly his political career to former glory. Machiavelli draws upon ancient and
modern examples of leaders in order to draw conclusions, generalizations, and opinions
regarding how to acquire, govern, and maintain power.
Lorenzo de' Medici: The Duke of Urbino and the grandson of Lorenzo the Magnificent,
he is the recipient of Machiavelli's work. Machiavelli originally intended to dedicate the
work to Lorenzo the Magnificent's son, Giuliano de' Medici, but he died in 1516.
Machiavelli dedicates the book to Lorenzo de' Medici in hopes that the young prince
would restore Italy to its former glory. Machiavelli believes that Lorenzo de' Medici is in
the best situation to unite the Italians because of his family's great influence in Florence
and over the Church-Lorenzo's uncle being Pope Leo X.
King Ferdinand II : The king of Spain at the time Machiavelli wrote The Prince, King
Ferdinand established his throne by marrying Isabella, uniting the kingdoms of Castile
and Aragon. Known as The Catholic, King Ferdinand was closely associated with the
Church, joining the Holy League in order to defeat France. He also succeeded in driving
the Moors out of Spain in the name of religion. Machiavelli refers to King Ferdinand
throughout the book, using him as an example of a ruler who has, through his shrewd
political maneuverings, accomplished great things. King Ferdinand is said to preach
peace and faith but his actions clearly betray his words. Yet, Machiavelli considers the
king's apparent hypocrisy to be acceptable and even necessary. Machiavelli also
praises King Ferdinand for undertaking great endeavors as to arouse awe in his
subjects.
Francesco Sforza: Francesco Sforza is the primary example of a new prince who
acquires his principality by his abilities. He was a soldier who rose through the ranks to
become Duke of Milan in 1450 with the help of the Venetians. Machiavelli has high
regard for Francesco Sforza because he was a mighty military leader. His sons,
however, lost the throne because they rejected the life of military discipline. Machiavelli
criticizes the castle Francesco Sforza built in Milan because the family's reliance upon it
has kept them insulated from the people. This violates one of Machiavelli's most
cherished rules: do not be hated by the people.
Cesare Borgia: The son of Pope Alexander VI who inherited much power and territory
from his father, known as Duke Valentino, Cesare Borgia is considered by Machiavelli
to have been a most capable leader and the embodiment of what a prince should be.
Machiavelli suggests that an ambitious prince looking for a recent model to follow
should imitate Cesare Borgia. Machiavelli uses many events of Cesare Borgia's life to
illustrate how and why he was successful. Machiavelli believes that Cesare Borgia
would have succeeded in uniting all of Italy had he not fallen ill. Examining Cesare
Borgia's life, Machiavelli concludes that in order for a prince to ultimately succeed, he
needs both ability and fortune.
Pope Alexander VI: Father to Cesare Borgia, Pope Alexander VI was a great leader
who used his position and abilities to empower his son and consequently, the power of
the Church. Cesare Borgia inherited much power and territory from his shrewd father.
Machiavelli considers Alexander VI a master at the art of political deception. Through
the military success of Cesare Borgia, Pope Alexander VI not only brought respect and
prestige to the position of the pope and the Church, he helped establish his son as the
most powerful prince in Italy until they both fell ill. Pope Alexander died soon after and
Cesare Borgia, deathly ill, could not prevent his eventual downfall.
Pope Julius II: The successor to Pope Alexander, he continued to increase the power
of the Church through military conquests and political maneuverings. Machiavelli
commends the Pope for finding a novel way to raise money-the sale of ecclesiastical
offices. Pope Julius succeeded in expanding the territorial boundaries of the Church and
driving the French out of Italy by joining the Holy League. Machiavelli uses Pope Julius
as an example of a ruler who succeeded because his political methods corresponded
well with the times. Known to have acted impetuously in his military decisions,
Machiavelli suggests that Pope Julius's successes were largely due to his
impetuousness. Machiavelli concludes that being impetuous is usually better than
inaction.
Minor Characters
King Louis XII: Machiavelli uses the military and political exploits of Louis XII in Italy as
examples of what not to do in maintaining power over a newly conquered territory. Louis
XII makes several crucial mistakes in his attempts to take Italy. Machiavelli, in
describing the king's mistakes, emphasizes one key point: that he who causes another
to become powerful ruins himself.
Moses: The biblical figure who led the Israelites out of Egypt. Machiavelli considers
Moses to be one of the great princes who came to power through abilities rather than
fortune. Although Moses is a special case because he was commanded by God,
Machiavelli finds his leadership skills admirable. Machiavelli likens the current state of
Italy to the Israelite's bondage in Egypt. Machiavelli pleads for a strong leader to lead
the Italians to a similar Exodus from the hands of the 'barbarians.'
Cyrus: The founder of the Persian Empire (558-529 B.C.), Cyrus, in finding the Medes
soft as a result of a long period of peace, defeated them and established an empire.
Machiavelli lists Cyrus as one of the great princes who came to power by his abilities
rather than fortune.
Romulus: The legendary founder of Rome. Machiavelli includes Romulus as one of the
great princes who came to power through abilities rather than fortune.
Theseus: The legendary hero of Athens, Theseus is included as one of the great
princes who came to power through abilities rather than fortune.
Savaronola: The Dominican friar who held power over Florence before the takeover by
the Republican government that Machiavelli served under. Savaronola is an example of
an unarmed prophet that falls.
Hiero of Syracuse: Machiavelli uses Hiero as a modern example of a prince who came
to power by his abilities rather than fortune. Hiero was a private citizen who rose to
power because of his remarkable leadership abilities. Hiero is an example of a ruler who
relied on his own troops.
Pope Leo X: Lorenzo de' Medici's uncle. Machiavelli believes that the young Medici
prince has the opportunity to unite all of Italy because he has all the resources available
to succeed, including his uncle's support as head of the church. Machiavelli, in
examining the successes of Pope Alexander VI and Pope Julius II, advises Pope Leo X
to continue building up the church through his goodness.
King David: The biblical figure who becomes king of Israel after King Saul. Machiavelli
recounts the story where David rejects King Saul's weapon and armor before going out
to battle the giant, Goliath. The story is used to illustrate that one should never rely on
the strength of another's army. A great prince should always command his own troops.
Philopoemen: Ancient general of the Achaean League (253-183 B.C.), Philopoemen is
an example of a prince who was always engaged in the thoughts of military strategy.
Because he studied the art of warfare, Philopoemen is said to have never experienced
a situation in war where he did not know how to act. Plutarch calls him 'the last of the
Greeks.' Machiavelli states that the primary task of a prince is to prepare for warfare,
especially in times of peace.
Achilles: The legendary hero of Greek mythology, Achilles trained under Chiron, a
centaur (half man, half beast). Machiavelli states that the ancient writers meant to show
that a warrior needs to be trained in the fighting ways of both man and beast. The ways
of man is through laws. The ways of the beast is through force.
Marcus Aurelius: A Roman Emperor who ruled fairly and moderately, he is the only
Roman Emperor who did not come to ruin for not siding with the army. Machiavelli
suggests that a wise prince must know how to rule judiciously like Marcus Aurelius, but
only when his power is already established.
Septimus Severus: A Roman Emperor who, unlike Marcus Aurelius, ruled with force
and cruelty, Septimus Severus knew how to be both the fox and the lion. He was
respected by his soldiers and not hated by any of his people. A prince with similar
abilities should imitate Septimus Severus in establishing his power.
Emperor Maximilian II: Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, he was considered to be
a ruler who was not respected because he was given to changing his mind and never
being decisive. Machiavelli warns that a prince who is not resolute in his decisions will
never gain honor, especially among his advisers.