04 - Chapters 14 - 17

Machiavelli has created a ruthless guide on how to rule the country in his volume "The Prince".  The book is dedicated to Lorenzo De Medici, the ruler of Florence.  The author explains in simple language about the nature of great men and the characters of the government.  The first chapter gives an outline of the book discussing various styles of ruling as a prince, character traits that a ruler should have and the political situation of Italy in the 16th century.

The book is composed of 26 chapters which fall into four major sections.  In part one Machiavelli discusses the four types of principalities. The first type is hereditary princedoms meaning they are inherited by the ruler.  There are also mixed principalities which are seized by force, civic principalities which are acquired by various criminal methods and finally ecclesiastical principalities influenced by the church.  Machiavelli outlines how to maintain a newly acquired territory as these various types of principalities. 

The author details the characters of a prince for example paying close consideration to the armed forces so that they help him keep his power.  There are four types of armies that are identified by the author beginning with mercenaries who are the hired soldiers and tend to be unreliable and dangerous.  There are also auxiliaries which are the soldiers lent by other rulers, native troops which are the soldiers in their own country and lastly the mixed troops which will have soldiers from native troops, auxiliaries and mercenaries. 

Machiavelli also takes a chapter to put forth the character and behavior of a prince.  In an ideal world a virtuous prince would do well.  Additionally Machiavelli considers it better to be economical than to be generous, pitiless than amorous and sneaky rather than sincere. 

Reading “The Prince” will take you into the ruthless and cunning mind of Machiavelli as he systematically describes how to conquer and rule in the 16th century Italy.  The astute reader will find that Machiavelli's principals apply just as much in today's world as they did hundreds of years ago.

Arts

Machiavelli has created a ruthless guide on how to rule the country in his volume "The Prince". The book is dedicated to Lorenzo De Medici, the ruler of Florence. The author explains in simple language about the nature of great men and the characters of the government. The first chapter gives an outline of the book discussing various styles of ruling as a prince, character traits that a ruler should have and the political situation of Italy in the 16th century. The book is composed of 26 chapters which fall into four major sections. In part one Machiavelli discusses the four types of principalities. The first type is hereditary princedoms meaning they are inherited by the ruler. There are also mixed principalities which are seized by force, civic principalities which are acquired by various criminal methods and finally ecclesiastical principalities influenced by the church. Machiavelli outlines how to maintain a newly acquired territory as these various types of principalities. The author details the characters of a prince for example paying close consideration to the armed forces so that they help him keep his power. There are four types of armies that are identified by the author beginning with mercenaries who are the hired soldiers and tend to be unreliable and dangerous. There are also auxiliaries which are the soldiers lent by other rulers, native troops which are the soldiers in their own country and lastly the mixed troops which will have soldiers from native troops, auxiliaries and mercenaries. Machiavelli also takes a chapter to put forth the character and behavior of a prince. In an ideal world a virtuous prince would do well. Additionally Machiavelli considers it better to be economical than to be generous, pitiless than amorous and sneaky rather than sincere. Reading “The Prince” will take you into the ruthless and cunning mind of Machiavelli as he systematically describes how to conquer and rule in the 16th century Italy. The astute reader will find that Machiavelli's principals apply just as much in today's world as they did hundreds of years ago.

Share 04 - Chapters 14 - 17

Sign up to save your podcasts

04 - Chapters 14 - 17

04 - Chapters 14 - 17

More shows like The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

The Joe Rogan Experience

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

In Our Time

The History of Rome

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Founders

The Daily

On Purpose with Jay Shetty

Machiavelli

The Rest Is History

The Tucker Carlson Show

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Prince - Machiavelli