尼科洛·马基雅维里(Niccolò Machiavelli 1469—1527)是意大利佛罗伦萨的政冶家、外交家；同时是一位思想家——政治思想家。马克思曾经肯定马基雅维里及其后一些近代思想家在国家观上摆脱神学的束缚说，他们“已经用人的眼光来观察国家了，他们都是从理性和经验中而不是从神学中引出国家的自然规律；”并且又一次指出马基雅维里及其后的一些近代思想家使政治研究独立于道德，他说：“从近代马基雅维里……以及近代的其他许多思想家谈起，权力都是作为法的基础的，由此，政治的理论观念摆脱了道德，所剩下的是独立地研究政冶的主张，其他没有别的了。”马基雅维里是第一个使政治学独立，同伦理家彻底分家的人，有“资产阶级政治学奠基人”之称，并且是历史家、军事著作者、诗人和剧作家。在所有这些方面都有其传世的著作，包括《君主论》、《论提图斯·李维著〔罗马史〕前十卷》三卷(下称《李维史论》)、《佛罗伦萨史》八卷、《兵法》(直译：《战争的艺术》)七卷、《曼陀罗华》(喜剧)，还有其他剧本、诗、文以及大量的关于出使各国的情况报告和通讯等等。

《君主论》是意大利政治家、思想家尼科洛•马基雅维里的代表作。是西方世界的“厚黑学”，以科学家的智慧和化学家的严谨为统治者开出政治处方。马基雅维利以“性恶论”为逻辑起点，从研究君主个人行为出发，将政治斗争与谋略技巧在心智上做了诚实并饱含深意的思考。

Before Machiavelli had got "The Prince" off his hands he com-menced his "Discourse on the First Decade of Titus Livius," whichshould be read concurrently with "The Prince." These and severalminor works occupied him until the year 1518, when he accepted asmall commission to look after the affairs of some Florentine mer-chants at Genoa. In 1519 the Medicean rulers of Florence granted afew political concessions to her citizens, and Machiavelli with oth-ers was consulted upon a new constitution under which the GreatCouncil was to be restored; but on one pretext or another it was notpromulgated. In 1520 the Florentine merchants again had recourse to Machi-avelli to settle their difficulties with Lucca, but this year was chieflyremarkable for his re-entry into Florentine literary society, wherehe was much sought after, and also for the production of his "Art ofWar." It was in the same year that he received a commission at theinstance of Cardinal de' Medici to write the "History of Florence,"a task which occupied him until 1525. His return to popular favourmay have determined the Medici to give him this employment, foran old writer observes that "an able statesman out of work, like ahuge whale, will endeavour to overturn the ship unless he has anempty cask to play with." When the "History of Florence" was finished, Machiavelli tookit to Rome for presentation to his patron, Giuliano de' Medici, whohad in the meanwhile become pope under the title of Clement VII.It is somewhat remarkable that, as, in 1513, Machiavelli had written"The Prince" for the instruction of the Medici after they had justregained power in Florence, so, in 1525, he dedicated the "Historyof Florence" to the head of the family when its ruin was now athand. In that year the battle of Pavia destroyed the French rule inItaly.