The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli was written in the year 1513 AD in Italy during a time when his opinions were greatly detested by others. They were so hated that he was exiled from his country for writing them. When you hear this, you have to ask yourself, what kind of opinions did Machiavelli have that his own country would chase him away? His ideas, although very complexly written, were very simple. You have to succeed and to do so any means were justifiable. He wrote his ideas in a long letter to the prince of Italy, Lorenzo de' Medici. He gave him advice that was supported by history and that he thought were the precise characteristics of an excellent leader. That advice was both excellent and terrible at the same time. In the document The Prince, Machiavelli writes about many characteristics that a good prince should have. The five main characteristics are as follows: (1) A price must have no other thought in mind than war and how to prosecute it (Machiavelli, 279), (2) a price must be liberal, rather than generous (Machiavelli, 282) , (3) he should be a good prince ...