lawyer-bureaucrat, Machiavelli was exposed to religion, classics, and politics at a young .
age. (Jensen, 1960, vii) This early introduction fostered an interest, desire and talent for .
government work. In 1948 at the age of 29, despite a lack of experience, Machiavelli was .
appointed to serve as the second chancellor of the Florentine republic, engaging in .
diplomatic missions through France, Germany as well as Italy. From his observations .
overseas, in addition to his interactions with influential politicians including Cesare .
Borgia and Julius II, Machiavelli began to formulate his principles on effective .
leadership. Unfortunately, after over ten years of public service, he was suspected of .
conspiracy. After the demise of the republic, he was arrested, tortured, and eventually .
forced into retirement. Banished to his country estate, Machiavelli collected his .
frustrations, and penned The Prince, The Art of War and other significant works. (Jensen, .
1960, 21) .
.
The Prince was dedicated to Lorenzo de Medici, a powerful noble whose family .
was responsible for the "fruition of Florence's commercial, artistic, and political .
resources- (Ruffo-Fiore 1982, 3). Soon however, factions, foreign intervention, and the .
extravagance and opulence of the Medici court led to the deterioration of Florence. .
Machiavelli intended for The Prince to serve as a political treatise aimed at aiding the .
Medici family restore Florence's success as well as secure him a position within their .
government. His name had been on a list of possible enemies of the Medici's, so he was .
currently out of favor with the rulers of Florence. The dedication was a desire to prove to .
the Medici family that "he was a man worth employing- and that he was "a loyal .
subject-. (Skinner 1981, 22).
Although Machiavelli's attempts to re-enter the political realm failed, he was able .
to use his expulsion as time to reflect and analyze what he had learned during his years in .