Niccolo MachiavelliNiccolo Machiavelli was an Italian philosopher who lived from 1469 to 1527. Machiavelli was best known for his book, The Prince, he was an Italian diplomat, philosopher, and Italian historian during the Renaissance. Niccolo Machiavelli was born in a city called Florence in Italy on May 3, 1469 into a wealthy family. He is believed to have attended the University of Florence and received an excellent education. He was appointed second chancellor of the Republic of Florence and was responsible for diplomatic and military affairs. Niccolo Machiavelli was born in Florence (Firenze in Italian) in 1469. The Machiavelli family is believed to be descended from the Marques. of Tuscany. The Marques is a royal and noble rank awarded to someone in Renaissance Europe. As the Machiavelli were descended from Marques, they were rich and could give Niccolo a good education. Machiavelli was born in a time of disorder, where popes were waging greedy wars against Italian cities and states so that they could gain more land and power. As a result, many people and cities fell from power during this time. Growing up in this era and having such experience, Machiavelli discovered these topics; war and politics and that's what led him to get into politics growing up. Machiavelli became second chancellor after the Medici family was deposed after 60 years in power. During his 14 years of service, he carried out numerous diplomatic missions to the papacy in Rome and to many Italian states. In the final years of his service, Machiavelli was in charge of the Florentine armed forces. Machiavelli disbanded the mercenary forces due to their unreliability... middle of paper ... which is why he was also known as "Makaveli". Niccolo Machiavelli died at the age of 58 and was buried in Florence, ironically because he was exiled there.Works Cited (2009). empiricism (philosophy) -- Encyclopedia Britannica - Britannica.com. Retrieved January 13, 2014 from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/186146/empiricism.(2003). Niccolò Machiavelli (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Retrieved January 13, 2014 from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/machiavelli/.(2002). Niccolo Machiavelli, 1469-1527 - The History Guide. Retrieved January 13, 2014 from http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/machiavelli.html.(2010). Niccolo Machiavelli – the cunning critic of political reason | History... Retrieved January 14, 2014 from http://www.historytoday.com/vincent-barnett/niccolo-machiavelli-%E2%80%93-cunning-critic-politique-reason.