Nicola Machiavelli- The author and his times. (background Notes)

THE AUTHOR AND HIS TIMES MACHIAVELLI'S LIFE Living from 1469 to 1527, Niccolo Machiavelli saw what we now consider the height of the Italian Renaissance- a period that produced some of Italy's greatest achievements in the arts and sciences, but that also produced horrible scandals and the establishment of foreign domination over the peninsula. Brought up while members of the powerful Medici family were masters of Florence, he studied the classics and learned to read and write …

…and king of Athens. VENICE Seaport in northeast Italy. A rich, powerful aristocratic republic in Machiavelli's time. VIRTU Machiavelli's term for personal strength and ability, the special talent of a prince to seize the opportunity of a given moment and assume absolute power. BERNABO VISCONTI (1323-1385) Ruler famous for his cruel methods of punishment, including torture. Machiavelli uses him as an example of how a prince can instill fear in the hearts of the people.