Machiavelli, exiled from Florentine politics, wrote this treatise on how to acquire and maintain power, and his name became synonymous with ruthless calculation. The book advises the prince to be feared rather than loved, to break promises when necessary, to appear virtuous while acting otherwise. Whether Machiavelli was sincere or ironic remains debated. The prose is clear and practical, stripped of the moral rhetoric that usually surrounds politics. The book was condemned by the Church, beloved by rulers, and studied by everyone interested in how power actually works. It is still studied because power still works that way.