Niccolò Machiavelli

1469 – 1527 · died at about 58^[1][2]

Philosophy & Thought

Fun Facts About Niccolò Machiavelli

• Niccolò Machiavelli never saw The Prince in print: written around 1513, it was not published until 1532, five years after his death.^[1]
• The famous saying that the ends justify the means is often wrongly attributed to Machiavelli.^[1]
• It is sometimes thought that Machiavelli is the reason Old Nick became an English term for the Devil.^[1]
• Falsely implicated in a plot against the Medici, Machiavelli was tortured with the strappado but denied involvement and was released after three weeks.^[1]
• In a letter, Machiavelli described taking off his muddy work clothes each evening and putting on the clothes an ambassador would wear before entering his study.^[1]
• In 1559 the Catholic Church banned The Prince, putting it on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.^[1]
• Niccolò Machiavelli was alive at the same time as Suleiman the Magnificent — their lives overlapped for 33 years (1494–1527).^[1][2][3][4]
• Niccolò Machiavelli shares a birthday with Golda Meir: both were born on May 3.^[1][2][5][6]

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was a Florentine diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance. He is best known for his political treatise The Prince, written around 1513 but not published until 1532, five years after his death. He has often been called the father of modern political philosophy and political science.^[1]

Contemporaries

Albrecht Dürer

56 yr overlap

Vasco da Gama

55 yr overlap

Nicolaus Copernicus

54 yr overlap

Michelangelo

52 yr overlap

Leonardo da Vinci

50 yr overlap

Martin Luther

44 yr overlap

Hernán Cortés

42 yr overlap

Ferdinand Magellan

41 yr overlap

Christopher Columbus

37 yr overlap

Raphael

37 yr overlap

Henry VIII

36 yr overlap

Suleiman the Magnificent

33 yr overlap

Their World

Questions About Niccolò Machiavelli

When was Niccolò Machiavelli born?

Niccolò Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469, and died on June 21, 1527.

How old was Niccolò Machiavelli at death?

Niccolò Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469, and died on June 21, 1527, at age 58.

What was Niccolò Machiavelli known for?

Niccolò Machiavelli was known for: Author of The Prince. Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was a Florentine diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance. He is best known for his political treatise The Prince, written around 1513 but not published until 1532, five years after his death. He has often been called the father of modern political philosophy and political science.

Who was alive at the same time as Niccolò Machiavelli?

Niccolò Machiavelli's closest contemporary was Albrecht Dürer. Their lives overlapped for 56 years.