Niccolò Machiavelli

Machiavelli came from a prominent Italian family that produced 13 Florentine Gonfalonieres of Justice. At age 29, Machiavelli was elected as the head of the Second Chancery of the Florentine Republic, where he helped negotiate military affairs. Besides serving as an official, Machiavelli also wrote books on political ethics and philosophy, as well as comedies and works of poetry. He wrote his most influential work, The Prince, after he was no longer a government official and the Medici family had regained control of Florence. Machiavelli is considered the father of political science and the word “Machiavellian” was coined to describe his views.