The Prince

‘The Prince’ is a 16th-century political treatise written by Niccolò Machiavelli, an Italian diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Renaissance. It is the most well-known book on politics ever written and remains as vibrant and astonishing today as when it was written. The treatise is not representative of the work published during his lifetime, but it is the most recognized, and the work responsible for bringing ‘Machiavellian’ into wide usage as a pejorative term. It has also been suggested by some critics that the piece is, in fact, a satire. Originally denounced as a collection of sinister maxims and a recommendation of tyranny, it has more recently been supported as the first scientific treatment of politics as it is practiced rather than as it ought to be practiced. Widely cited in the press and in academic publications, it has direct applicability to the issues of business and corporate governance encountering global corporations as they enter a new millennium.