Full title   The Prince

Author  Niccolò Machiavelli

Type of work  Political treatise; letter; manual

Language  Italian

Time and place written  Started in July 1513, finished in 1514; Florence, Italy

Date of first publication  1532, after Machiavelli’s death; first English translation appeared in 1640.

Themes Statesmanship and warcraft; goodwill and hatred; free will; virtue; human nature

Political context   The Prince was written during a time of political turbulence as a practical guide to help Lorenzo de’ Medici stay in power. Lorenzo did not agree with many of Machiavelli’s suggestions. The book appeared on the pope’s “Index of Prohibited Books” in 1559.