Machiavelli's "The Prince"

Niccolo Machiavelli offers his constructive thoughts regarding numerous complex issues within his book "The Prince". Exiled when Pope Julius II defeated the French and took over Florence, Machiavelli did not have faith in the church. He saw the corruption in the Church as a self-destructing weakness and was not convinced of the Church's virtue. Machiavelli's animosity against the Catholic Church, along with his desire to be reinstated to public service, is what prompted him to …

…only needs to make sure that his people are happy with him in order to maintain his authority in his state. In order to unite the city states of Italy, Prince Lorenzo must defeat the rest of the city states, repel the foreign invaders, and get rid of the Catholic Church - but even if laws and jurisdictions were passed down, there cannot truly be a physical manifestation that can block off the Catholic faith.