Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469-1527) was a highly placed bureaucrat and diplomitist in the Florentine republic, whose writings over a wide range of topics gave us a penetrating view into renaissance culture and politics. For nearly five hundred years, men in high places have been influenced and encouraged to follow his outline for power, as stated in his book Il Principe (The Prince), was written for the de Medici rulers, but is based somewhat on his familiarity with the notorious Cesare Borgia.  The popularity of his strategies spawned the term "Machiavellian."