Summary of The Prince 

Machiavelli

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Chapter 1

Republics or principalities hold power and rule over people.

Principalities are either hereditary, or they are new.

Chapter 2

The prince only deals with how principalities should be ruled and preserved An inherited principality is easier to rule than a new one - all you have to do is not break their old rules.

Chapter 3

People change their rules willingly, in the hope that the new ruler will be better than the current one.

Out of necessity the current prince also burdens his people in establishing a new principality. The current prince also made enemies with those that were injured in seizing the principality.

Even if you have a strong army you still need the goodwill of the people to keep a principality. It is easy to lose a new principality because a new prince can not immediately reward those that helped him. As soon as a principality is won, you should get rid of the rebels and strengthen yourself in your weakest places.

Principalities in your country and of the same language as your country are easier to hold than if they are not. It is even easier to hold if this principality has not been used to self-government. When taking over a principality you only have to do two things, kill the previous prince and his whole family and do not change the current laws and taxes. Taking over a principality in a country that differs from your language, customs and laws are much more difficult. The best way to make this easier is to go and stay in this principality. When you are on the spot, problems are easily spotted and fixed before they get out of hand. You can also prevent you officials from plundering the country. It is difficult to take over a principality if its prince stays there - in the principality.

You can also send colonies to principalities to help holding it. Sending cavalry and infantry is much more expensive. Colonies are more faithful to you and it injures the people less than cavalry. People should be treated well or be crushed. If you injure someone only lightly they can still take revenge, if you crush them they can not revenge.

Armed men just consume the states income. Colonies are the best option.

A prince should be careful that a foreigner does not come and get more power than he has. Neighbouring states not taken over should not be allowed to become too powerful. The prince must remain the master of the whole country. If you do not do this, you will be taken over, or otherwise you will constantly have power struggle difficulties.

Sensible princes should prepare for the future too. Minor problems should be addressed immediately before it gets out of hand. To foresee problems is difficult, but when you see future problems, act to fix this at once.

Keep your weak and powerless friends secure and protected. They will then come to you for help.

You should not weaken yourself, especially by helping other to become more powerful.

It is natural for men to want to acquire. If they do they are praised. If they are unable to acquire, they get stupid. It is easy to understand that when you do not observe these rules, after you take a principality, you will lose it.

To hold a principality a prince must understand statecraft and warcarft.

"he who is the cause of another becoming powerful is ruined" ??? for the hat to Rouen

Chapter 4

A principality is either governed by a prince and servants or by a prince and barons. Barons rule their states. If a prince rules using servants he is regarded much higher because he is the only ruler in the country.

Countries with one prince and servants are difficult to take over. Everyone is supporting the prince - they can not help you in your takeover. Servants do not have the people following them, so if you corrupt them, they can not help you.

Once you take over such a country and you kill the prince and his family, is easy to rule: there is no one with power to fear.

A country with barons is much easier to take over - there is always some barons that are unhappy about something that you can win over. Such people make a takeover easier, but makes it more difficult to hold afterwards.

If you know these rules, it is easy to understand why someone holds onto an empire, while another prince loses an empire. Holding a state has more to do with uniformity in a state than with the ability of the prince.

Chapter 5

There are three ways to handle a state that has been used to being free, living under their own laws. Ruin them go and stay there in person permit them to live under their own laws, establish your own small government there

Having such a small government run by you has its advantages - they support you because they cannot live without your support.

A prince that holds a city by keeping it free, will hold it more easily than by any other means.

If you do not ruin a city used to freedom, they will want to regain their freedom and therefore stand in unity against you. You must ruin them, or go and stay there ruling them.

Cities or countries used to being ruled is easy to overtake and to become the new ruler.

Chapter 6

A wise prince should imitate and follow in the footsteps of other great leaders before him. Imitation will not equal you with their abilities. Princes should aim very high, if they hit a target much lower, it was still worth it to aim high.

A prince has much less difficulty in holding a principality he won by his own ability than a prince that got a principality by good fortune. If you stay in your new principality, it is easier to keep than if you were to try and rule it from afar.

Princes with high abilities can recognize opportunities and take advantage of it - because of their abilities.

Nothing is more dangerous, difficult and uncertain than too introduce a new order of things. Your enemies will be those that had greatest advantage from the old order of things. Those people that will not benefit from your new order of things, will not support it enthusiastically.

When you introduce a new order of things, those hostile to you will have their reasons to attack you and your defenders will not be enthusiastic to defend you.

If you want to introduce a new order of things, praying and relying on others does not work. You should only rely on yourself and use force. It might be easy to persuade people, but to keep them persuaded, you might have to use force. You must be able to keep the multitude of people to believe.

Dangers and difficulties are in the establishing of new enterprises only. Once established, you will be secure, powerful, honoured and happy.

Chapter 7

To rise to the top by fortune is easy, to stay at the top after fortune has left you is difficult. You must have the necessary knowledge and ability to be a prince, you can not buy it.

Becoming a prince overnight lack the necessary foundations when difficulties are encountered.

If not laid no foundations before you became prince, you must still lay these foundations afterwards. This is very dangerous and difficult to do.

You can become a prince through fortune or through your abilities.

One of the best pieces of advice for a new prince - lay your solid foundations beforehand.

You should weaken others by letting their followers follow you. Do this by paying them well and honouring them appropriately (according to rank).

Scatter the followers of others.

It is worthy to note that one way to lay your foundations is to eliminate the leaders, make their followers your friends by helping them prosper. When rulers plunder their followers, rather than rule well, the country is full of violence, robbery and fights - there is no union.

Win all gentlemen over to yourself.

Some features of good foundations are: boldness, ability, laying firm foundations fast.

Alexander is an excellent example of all the following actions necessary to secure a new principality:

win friends

overcome by force or fraud

make yourself loved and feared by people

be followed and admired by his soldiers

eliminate those with the power or reason to hurt you

change from the old ways to your new order of things

be strict and generous as required

destroy disloyal soldiers, establish loyal soldiers

have friends in princes and kings that help you with enthusiasm, and are careful not to differ from you

People hurt others out of fear or hatred.

Chapter 8

Most frequently a private person becomes a prince through fortune or his own genius abilities. A third way is through wickedness.

For example, you can become a prince by rising through the ranks through clever, step by step, wickedness.

Becoming a prince primarily by being a wicked genius is also full of dangers and problems. If you have no mercy, no religion, kill people and deceive your friends you might be able to get an empire - you will not have any glory however. Such genius wickedness could be respected, but never celebrated.

You may be cruel at one blow if this is necessary for your security. You should not persist in evil - only when you can use this for the advantage of your people. Princes that use evil once (as required) are more successful than princes that continue to use evil more and more every day.

If a prince seizes a state, all the required injuries should be inflicted at one stroke. This way it is not necessary to every day be a little evil. Injuries should be inflicted once, swiftly - so that it may be forgotten. A prince should however deliver frequent, small benefits to his people so that its positive effects last longer.

Chapter 9

This chapter describes how a private person favoured by the people or by the nobles becomes prince.

Two opposites exist in all cities:

people not wishing to be ruled and oppressed

nobles that wish to rule and oppress

These two opposite desires leads to one of three results:

principality, self-government, or anarchy (lawlessness).

A principality is created by nobles by selecting one of themselves as prince so that at least one of them can rule.

A principality is created by the people by selecting on of themselves as prince to help defend themselves against the nobles.

A prince selected among the nobles to be prince has difficulty because the other nobles consider themselves equal to the prince. Such a prince has difficulty in ruling the nobles.

A prince selected from the people has few people around to obey him

A prince can never fully secure himself against the too many people, but can secure himself against the fewer in number nobles.

Hostile nobles may abandon or rise up against you, people can only abandon you. Nobles either bind themselves too your fortune, or not. Those who bind themselves to you should be loved and honoured. You should always regard those not binding with you to be your enemies. In difficult times they are the ones that help to ruin you.

Someone that becomes prince through the favour of the people should keep them friendly towards him by not oppressing them.

Someone that becomes prince through the favour of the nobles should make the people friendly towards him by protecting them. "I repeat, it is necessary for a prince to have the people friendly, otherwise he has no security in adversity. "

Not any private citizen can just rely on people to support him - the builds on muddy foundations. However, a prince that has proven himself to be couragous, energetic, a worthwhile and able leader, can rely on the people and will not be let down.

It is misleading too rely on people in quiet times to think they agree and will die for him, for when difficult times come, they do not agree and is not willing to die for him. The way a wise prince can make the people to be faithful to him is to always create the circumstances under which they need him.

Chapter 10

A prince either has abundant money and men to support himself, or, always need the help of others.

Princes in constant need of the help of others should fortify their towns well. It is not easy to attack a well-fortified town, where the prince is not hated by his people. Such a well-fortified town is even stronger when there are supplies inside to last the town a year, and when the military holds frequent exercises.

Anyone attacking such a fortified city with its powerful prince will be driven off in disgrace.

The wise prince should support his people especially after their houses have been burnt and possessions ruined in defence of him.

Chapter 11

Ecclesiastical principalities do not require ability or good fortune for a prince to get hold of. These principalities are sustained by all-powerful religious laws. Princes of such principalities do not rule, people are not ruled. These principalities used to have little worldly power, but they now have a great deal. The short, 10 year life of a pope is not enough to make a considerable difference.

Chapter 12

The most important foundations of new and old states are good laws and good armies.

A prince can defend his state using mercenaries, auxiliaries, or a mix of these two.

Mercenaries and auxiliaries are useless and dangerous for the following reasons:

they are disunited,

ambitious and without discipline,

unfaithful,

brave before friends, but cowardly before enemies;

they have neither the fear of God nor fidelity to men

In peace they rob you, in war they let the enemy rob you. They are in it only for the money - however their small salaries is not worth dying for.

If mercenary captains are capable, they only aspire for their own greatness - they try to oppress you. Mercenary captains that are not capable leaders is worthless in helping you defend your state.

The best way to win a war is if the prince himself leads as captain and use the citizens of his states as soldiers.

The best way to defend yourself is by using your own citizens as soldiers. Mercenaries are useless. Ways to reduce tiredness and dangers in war are:

do not kill, take prisoners

do not attack towns at night

do not attack encampments at night

do not fight in the winter

Chapter 13

Using auxiliaries to fight your wars lets you lose two ways:

if they lose the war, you lose the war

if they win the war, you are help captive by them and their skills

The wise prince always use his own soldiers and own army and never auxiliaries. A wise prince does not consider a war won with auxiliaries a victory for the prince himself - it is only a victory for the auxiliaries.

You should also use your own weapons, not those of others.

Armies of mercenaries and your own people is better than just mercenaries or just auxiliaries, however armies made up only of your own people is always the best way to defend your state and attack other states. "I conclude, therefore, that no principality is secure without having its own forces"

Chapter 14

A prince should constantly be busy studying the art of warfare. This art belongs to princes only.

Knowing the art of war enables you to rise from a citizen to being a prince. Not knowing this art causes princes to become private citizens.

A prince should always have the art of war in his mind. In times of peace he should study the art of war and frequently hold military exercises.

You should study the following about your own country in detail: how the valleys open out how plains lie the nature of rivers and marshes

This knowledge enables a prince to be much more able to defend his country.

Such a study enables a prince to study other countries easier. There are similarties between valleys, plains, rivers and hills in all countries. These similarities makes it easier to study other countries.

It is essential that a prince undertakes these studies. These studies help a prince to take advantage of the knowledge in surprise attacks and selecting safe places to camp out.

A prince should always discuss military strategy with his friends when in their countries to ensure that he is never surprised by unexpected circumstances.

In order to imimidate war victories of other illustrious men and avoid defeats, a prince should study war histories to learn the causes of war victories and defeats.

Chapter 15

Others also wrote about how a prince should conduct himself to be praiseworthy. However, they dealt with the theoretical aspects of this. They also imagined principalities and republics that does not exist in real life.

A prince has to know how to do wrong, and when to use this for this advantage. You need to know this, because just being praiseworthy makes you allow evil things in reality to destroy you. It should appear that a wise prince has all the good qualities one expects of him and none of the bad qualities. However human nature prevents anyone to be perfect.

Virtues just followed because it is virtues might cause your ruin.

Vices must not always be avoided, it might bring security and prosperity.

Chapter 16

You should be liberal and have a reputation of being liberal, otherwise liberality injures you.

Liberality will cause you to give away all your property. Liberality will also require you to tax your people to have money to give away. In the end you will be poor - this helps no-one.

The moment a prince stops being liberal, he is being accused as being greedy.

A wise prince understands that being considered mean is better than being considered liberal. By being mean, you save enough to be able to defend your country and its people. You are also able to engage in large enterprises without taxing your people.

"We have not seen great things done in our time except by those who have been considered mean; the rest have failed. "

Being mean (not liberal) enables a prince to govern. This does not mean you should rob your people.

A prince should sparingly spend what he or his people owns. A prince should be liberal in giving away what other people owns.

Liberality always leads a prince to be hated and despised. Liberality leads to you having to be greedy to get more (by force) to give away for free. This leads to hate.

Meanness only leads to people finding fault with that - they do not hate you for it.

Chapter 17

Every prince should work towards being considered merciful and not cruel. Do not be totally against being cruel. A lack of cruelty will lead to disorder, chaos, murders and robberies.

A new prince unfortunately have to be cruel initially because being a new prince is full of dangers.

You should consider issues with careful, moderate consideration - not extreme distrust or extreme trust.

It is not possible to love and fear a prince. Being feared is much safer than being loved. In general, people are ungrateful, cowards, greedy and false - do not rely on them. You can not rely on friendships you bought.

People do not care to disappoint a loved one, the fear the fear most. Be feared, they will always keep this fear in mind. Be loved, they will be a traitor to this love when it is to their advantage.

A prince should avoid being hated - that is dangerous - being feared is not dangerous. You can avoid being hated by keeping your hands off the possessions and woman of your people.

When a prince starts robbing his people, he will carry on robbing them more and more.

When with his army, a prince must be cruel in order to keep the army united and to be in control.

A wise prince does not mind being loved or feared. A wise prince is very careful not to be hated - that is dangerous.

Chapter 18

It is most praiseworthy of a prince to be considered trustworthy and not be cunning. However, in real life, princes that used cunning are always more successful than those princes that are always to be trusted fully.

A prince must know and understand when to act like a man and like a beast, as circumstances require both - just one is not enough.

Lions cannot defend themselves against traps, and foxes cannot defend themselves against wolves. You have to be like a fox to see the traps, and like a lion to terrify the wolves. If all people was always totally trustworthy you only had to be like a lion. In reality you have to be like a cunning fox at times. Princes that are cunning and strong as appropriate always succeed better as princes that are only as lions.

A prince will always find someone to deceive - men are too focussed on the present necessities.

The better you understand the nature of mankind, the better you will be able to deceive them with success.

A prince does not have to actually have all perfect good qualities a prince must have. You only must appear to have those qualities. Always acting according to good qualities might harm you - you have to know when to act against it.

Unfortunately a new prince will initially have to act against the nature of good qualities.

Everything a prince says must be filled with these five qualities:

being merciful

be trustworthy

being religious

being kind

being honest

Chapter 19

As said before, a prince should avoid all things which causes people to hate him.

Violating other's woman and property is the main way to be hated - do not do this.

A prince should guard against being considered:

changeable,

not serious,

womanly,

A prince should endeavour to show his:

greatness

courage

fortitude

gravity importance, seriousness

Your people should know your judgements can not be changed, you can not be deceived. These qualities will allow you to be held in high regard. Princes esteemed like this is not easy to attack.

A prince can be attacked from the inside or from the outside. You defend yourself from the outside by having a good army and good allies. If you have a good army you will have good friends.

You can defend yourself from attacks from the inside by avoiding to be hated and despised. This is one of the best defences against a conspiracy. For a conspiracy to work, the conspirators need many others that thoroughly hate and despise you.

A conspirator has fear and the prospect of being punished counting against him.

The prince has the majesty of his principality, laws, friends and popular goodwill all counting for him.

After a successful conspiracy, the conspirators have to deal with the fact that they made enemies with the people.

When a prince is held in esteem he does not have to fear a conspiracy, when he is hated, he has to fear conspiracies from everything and everybody. A prince must take great care to ensure everyone is satisfied and contented.

People loved peace, soldiers loved war. Therefore, people loved an uninspiring prince, while soldiers loved a bold, cruel, greedy prince.

Princes can't avoid being hated by some, the must avoid being hated by all. Princes must work very hard to avoid being hated by the most powerful - in most cases the soldiers.

A prince can become hated by doing good or bad works.

A prince can become loved by doing good or bad works.

Sometimes a prince must do bad works to satisfy the needs of those that hate him.

A prince should be careful not to seriously injure those working closest with him. These people will attack and kill you if the hate is strong enough, not caring if they die in the process too.

A prince should not do things unworthy of his imperial majesty. It will cause him to be hated and despised.

Even just keeping sheep, a great indignity for a prince, can eventually lead to so much hate and contempt, that you are killed.

Princes should focus on satisfying the most powerful. In general this is the army, but at times this might be the people.

Being hated leads to a princes' death.

A prince new to a principality can not just imitate others before him to be successful. He must imitate actions from many different princes depending on the current state of affairs.

Chapter 20

It is not possible to judge the effectiveness of factions or fortresses without having all the details about a certain case to help your decision.

New princes always arm his people. By arming them, you become armed. This also makes those that distrust you faithful to you and keep the currently faithful, faithful too.

Those you provide with arms become dependant on you, those you cannot provide with arms understand that you can not possibly have arms for everyone.

Disarming people shows people you distrust them. This offends them and leads to hating you. If you disarm your people, you have to rely on mercenaries, which is useless.

Dividing towns into quarrelling factions is not a good idea. Divided cities are always lost when attacked - the weakest party helps the attackers and the remaining parties are unable to resist.

A new prince that overcomes difficulties and dangers lets him earn renown and become great. A wise prince can help this along by secretly fostering hostility against himself, so that he can then crush it, to increase his fame.

A prince that wins over those that initially have a bad impression of him, wins over very strong supporters.

Those unhappy with the previous government, helping you to become prince, do not make great friends. They do not necessarily love you, they just did not like the previous government. It is better to make friends with those content in the current government.

The usefulness of fortresses depends on the circumstances - they spare you from injury in one way but causes you injury in the other way.

The best possible fortress is not to be hated by the people. A fortress is of no use if your people hate you. Do not rely on a fortress, rather avoid being hated by the people.

Chapter 21

"NOTHING makes a prince so much esteemed as great enterprises and setting a fine example. "

Always endeavour to gain a reputation of being great and remarkable in all your actions.

A prince must be clear towards any party that he is either a true friend or a sure enemy - a prince should never stand neutral.

If two other parties have a war, the conqueror will not want a neutral, doubtful friend, the loser will hate you for not helping them.

If a party you are friends with, wins, you established a bond of friendship. They will not then attack you too.

If a party you are friends with loses, you form a companionship that may rise in power later.

A prince should prefer not to make alliances with parties stronger than himself , in order to attack others, if he can avoid it.

No government can always just take safe courses of action. At times you will have to just choose the lesser evil.

A prince should encourage his people to practice their skills in peace. You should not discourage others from improving their possessions, especially if this will honour your city or state.

A prince should entertain his people with festivals and shows. At times a prince should associate with clubs and societies as well, but always maintaining the majesty of his rank.

Chapter 22

People form an opinion of a prince depending on the quality of the servants the prince picked for himself. Capable servants indicates a prince is able to recognize ability in servants.

There are three classes of intellects those that can figure things out by themselves those that can appreciate / understand that others comprehend correctly those that do not understand the first class is the best.

Servants that think more of their interests than yours, never makes a good servant.

To keep servants honest, a prince must enrich and honour him, be kind to them and share honours with them.

Servants and princes should trust each other, for the long-lasting prosperity of both.

Chapter 23

You must let your men know that they must always tell the truth to you - it does not offend you.

A prince should enquire his advisers about everything, listen to their opinions, but form his own conclusions. Councillors should understand that the more freely they speak, the more you would prefer them.

You should not be lead by anyone. Listen to all, but form your own opinions.

Do not be totally secretive in your plans. Once these come into effect, you will too easily be influenced by others. You should always take counsel and listen.

Someone that thinks a wise council makes a prince wise is wrong. "a prince who is not wise himself will never take good advice"

An inexperienced prince will be unable to unite the different counsels from different counsellors.

Chapter 24

A new prince is watched more closely than a prince that inherits a principality. If a new prince is seen as able he is regarded higher than a prince that inherited a principality.

You are evaluated more by what you do in the present than what you did in the past.

A new prince in a new principality that has manages to establish good laws, a powerful army and useful allies is regarded very highly.

Princes lose their states because of the following reasons:

they do not have their own armies

their people hated them

their nobles hated them

If you are powerful enough to defend your state, and do not make the above mistakes, you will not lose your state.

It is a common oversight in people not to make provision for the bad times while they are experiencing good times.

Do not accuse fortune if you lose a principality. You must prepare for stormy times when times are calm.

You should not rely on others to come and help you when things get bad. Your own efforts are the most reliable and long-lasting.

Chapter 25

Too many people believe the world is run by fortune (fate) and that there is nothing you can do to change that.

People believe this because if you consider everyday affairs, only by guessing can you guess how things will turn out - is seems as if we are not in control.

Fortune only controls half of our lives. We are able to control the other half.

Fortune might seem like a raging river, powerful and unstoppable. However if you prepare thoroughly beforehand, when the raging river comes, you can easily direct it using canals you build long beforehand.

A prince might be happy one day and ruined the next. One cause of this is when such princes relies entirely on fortune. When good fortune changes, they are ruined.

A prince should base his actions on the realities of the current situations.

Men achieved riches and glory through using many different, opposite methods. Do not imitate others without thinking. Totally different actions and methods might bring the same results and the same actions and methods by different men in different situations might bring different results.

The way you run your state that leads to success, does not mean that you should always use the same ways under all future circumstances as well. Caution and patience might for example lead to success, but when times and circumstances change, caution and patience might then lead to failure.

Careful, cautious men gets ruined when circumstances change. They are not prepared to change what worked for them in the past. They also might not know how to act in ways that does not correspond with their natural ways.

It is better to be adventurous, bold and daring when dealing with fortune. You should be in control, otherwise you will be controlled.

Chapter 26

Many things currently all work together positively making it a perfect time for a new prince.

Troubled times clearly reveal the abilities of a prince.

Italy is ready and willing to follow someone that is prepared to lead them. The current bad state of affairs in Italy begs for someone to protect the people from the current cruelties.

Italy currently has tremendous opportunity for someone to establish new laws and get the country in order. A prince able to do that will be respected in awe.

Italians are strong, capable soldiers, but Italy lacks capable military leaders.

Italy needs its own army to be able to free itself. A prince's own soldiers is always the best, skilfully led by their own prince they admire.

By knowing the limitations of the current best armies, it is possible to come up with a new army with none of these limitations. This is the kind of improvements that will help a new prince rise in power and reputation.

Such a golden opportunity should not be allowed to pass. A prince that frees Italy from the current horrors will be respected, loved, followed, supported and obeyed.