The Famous Work Prince Nicolás Machiavelli

The famous work Prince Nicolás Machiavelli

The Prince is a famous and complex work by Nicolas Machiavelo, published in 1531. This work was written when it was imprisoned, accused of having conspired against the Medici. It has consolidated as a work of great transcendence throughout the world, and then I have to make a compilation of the main ideas of the same. In the first place, I will deal with different classes of principalities and how they are acquired. First of all, it presents the most important of the distinctions, Principality or Republic. Then, the author establishes that there are three types of principalities: the first, the mixed, which becomes, as Machiavelli explains, the one that is not entirely new and has a member added to an existing old principality, the second place, the second place,This is the new principality, which are those that are formed from the conquest of another state, so they are more fragile because they must be imposed to be able to preserve power;Finally, the hereditary, as the name implies are those who are inherited from the family, the prince inherits dynastic rights, unlike the new ones, they have no difficulty to preserve power, since they follow a tradition and are already establishedIn the territory. As long as the acquisition of it, it can be given by their own or others’ weapons, or by luck or virtue. To which the obligations that the prince must have with his militia in respect, it is clear that the duty of this is to think of the art of war, and as an essential requirement, to understand military affairs to, consequently, to have the necessary confidence withthey.

In addition, he is also obliged to deal with military culture, he can acquire it through the study of it or practicing it.

Machiavelli established that both a prince and a man could be praised or insulted, this comparison is to point out equality between them to maintain and conserve the State. It is virtue, by which it can be, on the one hand, an example of goodness and mercy, or, it can end up committing to ruin. Therefore it is key to know how to exercise this position. Then, freedom and misery take place. Meanwhile to the second, the author established that it was better to be considered miserable or greedTo the prince. Regarding freedom, it cannot be called pernicious or prodigate, but necessary, and also taken with some measure to prevent the limits. It also refers to those who arrive at the principality through crimes. They are those that starting from a normal class ascend considerably to the Prince’s post, it is possible through corruption or a betrayal of the original prince. More ways are through brute force, conspiracy due to leadership power in the army, among others. The civil principalities, as the name implies, are those in which some civilian becomes prince, without dirty game or embezzlement, only with the support of their fellow citizens comes to reign in their homeland. To reach said position, the fortunes you have, but the cunning to be loved and respected by the governed are not valuable.

On the other hand, there are also ecclesiastical principalities. This position does not require much fortune or good position. It only needs the support and recognition of the spiritual side, a clear example of this are the potatoes, named divinely, which throughout history were princes of various states. The maintenance of this power was simple, at that time the majority of the population was a believer and, consequently, unable to contradict what God supposedly imposed, thus creating submission, divine fear and religious sanction. The armies are a key piece in a principality. There are mercenary armies, these are part of the army whose aspirations go beyond service to the nation, their aspirations are the acquisition of power and if necessary, betray the nation. Because in battles, they are blood without compassion for the lives of others. Therefore, when it comes to wars, armies of this type are the most effective to obtain victory. Apart from this, there are also the auxiliary, mixed and own armies. Prince’s loyalty to the given word, chapter XVIII, explains, as the title indicates the prince’s commitment to the people when he promises that thing. The prince who fulfills his word will be worthy. However, taken to practice, we have been able to observe that throughout history, the princes have not been worthy, they have not fulfilled their word, and they have often resorted to Tacitas to deceive the people and leave unpunished. Shows two ways to fight, one by force, or by law. We must always resort to most cases through the law, however, it does not mean that it is sometimes pertinent to resort to force, this depends on the situations and circumstances presented to us.

In the following chapter, dedicated to hatred and contempt for the prince, and the author repeatedly says that he must avoid being despised and hated by the inhabitants of his territory. You should also avoid having a bad reputation through light, effeminate, faint -hearted, qualifying these that would lead you to contempt. However, the prince must be cunning and be seen in the eyes of others as a strong and large figure, making himself respect. While the fortifications and other works of the princes, Machiavelli considers that the actions of the same must be undertaken to ensure the maintenance of their states, such as the division of the territory. These actions are for the author seen from a negative perspective, showing the points for and against, and as an impact for the rest and themselves. Referring to the strength, the author points out the importance of hate, since if the people hate the prince there is no turning, contrary, it can become the greatest possible strength possible. Well, one of the clearest and firm objectives that a prince must take into account is to be loved by his people. To do this, Machiavello considers that he must set an example of his person and his exploits. The key is to ensure that the people feel safe with respect to him, by making them known to them his greatest talents and honor them.

For a prince, it is essential to make a good choice of his ministers, what would be good or bad, according to the prudence of this election. Thus, it will be considered that the prince made a good choice if these ministers are faithful and have enough capacity to exercise, we will say that the prince has acted prudence since he knew how to know them and get them to remain faithful to him. On the contrary, if these counselors betray the Prince, they will be accused of imprudent to it, and initiate his mandate with a serious offense, for not having known how to make a good choice. As long as flatterers, always present, should be avoided under any circumstances. To do this, we must understand those who do not offend when telling the truth, although, without missing respect. Therefore, the prince behaving prudently must surround himself with faithful and reasonable people, with full freedom to express himself, with the truth ahead, always, only, when the prince requires his services, they should never express their opinion regarding issues that the princemoles asked.

As for the last chapters, the author gives rise to reflection, raising the causes of the ruin of Italy, followed by the loss of the states and solving it, with a rearrangement of the State. Proposing it through his work, with the study of the new principalities explained above. Explains in an analytical way what its fortune and virtue was, with the sole purpose of demonstrating the above, that audacity and virtue are essential for the development of political struggle.