Niccolo Machiavelli (3 May 1469 - 21 June 1527) was an Italian diplomat, politician, historian, philosopher, humanist, writer, playwright and poet of the Renaissance period. He has often been called the father of modern political science. For many years he was a senior official in the Florentine Republic, with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs. He wrote his best-known work The Prince (Il Principe) in 1513, having been exiled from city affairs.
