Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was born in Florence, Italy on
3 May 1469. Acknowledged for his shrewd and often-ruthless political stratagems, Machiavelli played a key role in an era defined by the Renaissance movement and the ongoing struggle for power amongst European states and the Holy Roman Empire. Machiavelli studied Latin, classical Roman and Greek history and grammar. It is believed that it was his father’s connections that allowed Machiavelli to eventually gain a foothold in the political sphere. Machiavelli died on 21 June 1527, following a period of illness. He was fifty-eight.