The Prince examines the acquisition, perpetuation, and use of political power in the western world. Not intending his writing to be a scholarly treatise on political theory, Machiavelli wrote The Prince to prove his proficiency in the art of the state, offering advice on how a prince might gain and keep power.

The treatise originally called De Principatibus (About Principalities), was originally written in 1513, but not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's death.

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