by NiccolO Machiavelli

Born in 1469, Niccolu Machiavelli entered public life for the first time in 1498. He proceeded to achieve the post of First Secretary of the Republic. He later became Head of Second Chancery, an official who was partly in charge of the war office. While in these positions, Machiavelli was entrusted with several foreign missions. His responsibilities often included traveling on diplomatic errands to foreign states. He never distinguished himself as an outstanding diplomat, but made use of his keen abilities of observation and analysis to learn about power. By traveling to Rome and foreign lands such as France and Germany, Machiavelli gained a political education that very few men of his time were privy to. These experiences proved to be of great value in his later writings.

Events in History at the Time of the Essay

Machiavelli's Italy. The Italy of Machiavelli's day had...