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About this book
Written as counsel for rulers, Machiavelli’s political treatise asks how a prince can acquire and preserve a state, favoring practical judgment over ideal government. In discussing the French king’s loss of Lombardy, he links defeat to choices that helped the Church and Spain gain power in Italy. His objection to hired soldiers is blunt, since low pay gives them little reason to risk their lives when war begins. Among Roman emperors, he contrasts rulers who inherit secure realms with newcomers, advising the latter to borrow only the qualities they need.
