The Prince (Italian: Il Principe [il ˈprintʃipe]) is a sixteenth century political treatise, by the Italian diplomat and political scholar, Niccolò Machiavelli. From correspondence a form seems to have been disseminated in 1513, utilizing a Latin title, De Principatibus (About Principalities). Be that as it may, the printed adaptation was not distributed until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's demise. This was finished with the consent of the Medici pope Clement VII, however "some time before then, in actuality since the main appearance of The Prince in composition, debate had whirled about his works".

In spite of the fact that it was composed as though it were a customary work in the mirrors for sovereigns style, it is by and large concurred that it was particularly inventive. This is somewhat on the grounds that it was composed in the vernacular Italian instead of Latin, a practice which had turned out to be progressively famous since the production of Dante's Divine Comedy and different works of Renaissance writing.

The Prince is once in a while asserted to be one of the main works of present day logic, particularly current political rationality, in which the viable truth is taken to be more essential than any conceptual perfect. It was likewise in direct clash with the overwhelming Catholic and academic principles of the time concerning governmental issues and morals.

Despite the fact that it is generally short, the treatise is the most recollected of Machiavelli's works and the one most in charge of bringing "Cunning" into utilization as a pejorative. It even added to the cutting edge negative undertones of the words "governmental issues" and "lawmaker" in western nations. Regarding topic it covers with the any longer Discourses on Livy, which was composed a couple of years after the fact. In its utilization of close contemporary Italians as cases of individuals who executed criminal deeds for governmental issues, another lesser-known work by Machiavelli which The Prince has been contrasted with is the Life of Castruccio Castracani.

The portrayals inside The Prince have the general subject of tolerating that the points of rulers, for example, magnificence and survival—can legitimize the utilization of corrupt intends to accomplish those ends.