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The Prince
by Nicolo Machiavelli
Written c. 1505, published 1515Translated by W. K. Marriott
The Original Version of this Text wasRendered into HTML by Jon Rolandof the
Constitution Societyhttp://constitution.org Converted to PDF by Danny Stoneas a Community Service to the Constitution Society
 
The Prince1Nicolo Machiavelli
CHAPTER I
How Many Kinds Of Principalities ThereAre, And By What Means They AreAcquired
LL STATES
, all powers, that have held andhold rule over men have been and areeither republics or principalities.
A
Principalities are either hereditary, in which thefamily has been long established; or they are new.The new are either entirely new, as was Milan toFrancesco Sforza, or they are, as it were, membersannexed to the hereditary state of the prince whohas acquired them, as was the kingdom of Naplesto that of the King of Spain.Such dominions thus acquired are either accustomed to live under a prince, or to live infreedom; and are acquired either by the arms of the prince himself, or of others, or else by fortune or  by ability.
 
The Prince2Nicolo Machiavelli
CHAPTER II
Concerning Hereditary Principalities
 
WILL
leave out all discussion on republics,inasmuch as in another place I have written of them at length,
1
and will address myself onlyto principalities. In doing so I will keep to theorder indicated above, and discuss how such principalities are to be ruled and preserved.
I
I say at once there are fewer difficulties inholding hereditary states, and those longaccustomed to the family of their prince, than newones; for it is sufficient only not to transgress thecustoms of his ancestors, and to deal prudentlywith circumstances as they arise, for a prince of average powers to maintain himself in his state,unless he be deprived of it by some extraordinaryand excessive force; and if he should be sodeprived of it, whenever anything sinister happensto the usurper, he will regain it.We have in Italy, for example, the Duke of Ferrara, who could not have withstood the attacksof the Venetians in '84, nor those of Pope Julius in'10, unless he had been long established in hisdominions. For the hereditary prince has less causeand less necessity to offend; hence it happens thathe will be more loved; and unless extraordinaryvices cause him to be hated, it is reasonable to
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