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Hello, in the Prince Maciale's manual of power and politics, he wrote,

Since men love as they themselves determine, but fear as their ruler determines,

a wise prince must rely upon what he and not others can control.

He also advised one must be a fox in order to recognize traps and a lion to frighten off wolves.

Those who simply act like lions are stupid. So it

follows that a prudent ruler cannot and must not honor his word when it places

him at a disadvantage. What times was Machiavelli living through to take such a tough perspective on power?

How did he gain the experience to provide this advice to rulers?

And was he really the amoral or even evil figure that so many have liked to paint him.

With me to discuss Nicola Machiavelli and the Italian city states is Averlin Welsh, Professor

of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London, Quentin Skinner, Regis Professor of History at the University of

Cambridge and Niza Jardin, director of the Center for Editing Lives and Letters at

Queen Mary University of London. Quentin Skinner, can we start with some political

background and tell us about the era in which

Nikola Macio Valley was born?

Yes, he's born in 1469 into the Florentine Republic, but it's a Republic in some difficulties by that time.

That's to say, with the rise of the Medici to informal control under Cosimo who effectively ruled the city from 1434 until his death in 1464 and then with the coming of

Lorenzo to power in the year of Machiavellis birth,

the Republic was in effect to sham.

It's controlled by the Medici who abandoned the great council which had been central to the old republic

...