Nicolo Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy, on 3 May 1469. During that period, Italy was divided between four dominant city-states, which were continually at the mercy of stronger foreign governments. The reign of the Medici family was interrupted in 1494 and was replaced by a reform government in which Machiavelli became an important diplomat. This Florentine Republic was swept away in 1512, when the Medici regained power with the help of the Spanish troops. Machiavelli was dismissed, arrested, tortured and removed from public life. For the next ten years, he devoted himself to writing history, political philosophy and plays. His famous treatise, "The Prince", was written in 1513 and published after his death, in 1532. Although it was dedicated to the Medici, it failed to win him their favor. In it, he aimed to tell rulers how to remain in power, by discouraging mass political activism and focusing on the practical problems facing the leader of a monarchy or a republic (although the focus was on a monarchy). He explained that the Monarch may sometimes be excused for performing acts of violence and deception otherwise indefendible in private life. In its conclusion, he called for Italian unity and an end to foreign intervention. "Machiavellian" has come to mean deceitful, unscrupulous and manipulative. He was eventually called back to public duty for the last two years of his life.

His other works include "History of Florence" (1525), "Discourse on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius" - also known as "The Discourses" (1531), "Life of Castruccio Castracani" (1520), "The Mandrake" - a play satirizing Italian society (1524), and many letters, poems and state papers.