A Year with Niccolò Machiavelli

A Year with Niccolò Machiavelli: Power, Republics, Conflict & Political Judgement

Spend a year exploring Niccolò Machiavelli beyond The Prince — through the offices, diplomatic missions, military experiments, political crises, books and arguments that shaped one of the most influential political thinkers in European history. This 52-week illustrated experience follows Machiavelli as secretary, diplomat, military organiser, historian, republican thinker and dramatist, placing his ideas back inside the institutions and dangers that gave them meaning.

Across 52 weekly experiences, the journey unfolds through four distinct sections:

Section I — The Republic as a School
Enter the Florentine Republic of Machiavelli’s early career, from the fall of Medici rule and Savonarola’s Florence to chancery work, diplomatic missions, Cesare Borgia and the political education of public office.

Section II — Arms and Fragile Orders
Explore Machiavelli’s attempts to understand and build political capacity through militias, institutions, diplomacy and war — from France and the Empire to Pisa, Prato and the collapse of the republic he served.

Section III — Writing from Exclusion
Follow Machiavelli from dismissal, imprisonment and rural exclusion into the composition of The Prince, examining power, fortune, fear, reputation, military force and political necessity without reducing the text to slogans.

Section IV — Republics, Stages and Afterlives
Move beyond princely rule into the Discourses, The Art of War, comedy, Florentine history and Machiavelli’s political afterlife, exploring liberty, conflict, corruption, religion, adaptation and the many ways later generations have interpreted his work.

Each week combines a full-page illustrated opening, a substantial contextual and reflective essay, focused guidance for reading the evidence, three reflection prompts and a dedicated Journal Notes page. The experience is designed to encourage close attention and independent judgement rather than lead the reader towards a predetermined conclusion.

Inside the experience:

• 52 structured weekly experiences
• Four thematic sections
• Full-page illustrated weekly openings
• Substantial historical and political context
• Guided reading and observation prompts
• Three reflection prompts each week
• Dedicated fillable Journal Notes pages
• Linked Contents and Return to Contents navigation
• Instant digital PDF format

A year-long journey into how Machiavelli learned to read power — not as an abstract theory, but through institutions, conflict, uncertainty and the consequences of political action.