Niccolo MachiavelliNiccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) was an Italian statesman and philosopher. Born into affluence, he managed to secure a high governmental position when only in his late twenties. After a successful decade in state service, Machiavelli was mistreated bythe notoriously corrupt Medici family – he was tortured and sent to prison where his major work The Prince was written in 1513. His other politically renowned volume, Discourses on Livy was also written in prison a few years later. Both texts were only published after Machiavelli’s death and in his lifetime he was probably best-known as a playwright and author of fiction – the texts such as Andria that have proven to be of much less literary and cultural significance. Read More Read Less