For this section, students should read the "Dedicatory Letter" to Lorenzo de Medici which opens The Prince, as well as Chapters 1-5 of the same.
Content Summary for Teachers
Dedicatory Letter
In the "Dedicatory Letter" to Lorenzo de Medici, the then-ruler of the Florentine Republic, Machiavelli states his purpose for writing "The Prince": to provide advice to the young prince about the art of governance.
He also defends his credentials, stating that over the course of his life, he has had the opportunity to examine the topic of statecraft from both a citizen’s vantage point and a ruler’s vantage point. Machiavelli closes his letter by saying that he hopes his advice will help Lorenzo...
