eli saw Borgia as the model prince. Some readers initially saw ThePrince as a satire on absolute rulers such as Borgia, which showed therepugnance of arbitrary power (thereby implying the importance of liberty).However, this theory fell apart when, in 1810, a letter by Machiavelli wasdiscovered in which he reveals that he wrote The Prince to endear himself to theruling Medici family in Florence. To liberate Italy from the influence of foreigngovernments, Machiavelli explains that strong indigenous governments areimportant, even if they are absolutist. Machiavelli played an important role in the political aspect of theRenaissance in northern Italy. His novel, The Prince, became the most famouspolitical writing of this period. His ideas comparing a monarchy to a republicmade him the first and probably best known political philosopher of theRenaissance....
