I have a related tangential question: While Machiavelli's 'The Prince' often seems to be interpreted as a 'how to' for unethical small-time nobility to gain and maintain power, I've often felt that this is too literal a reading. It's my understanding that Machiavelli was a dedicated civil servant (a 'technocrat', in modern parlance) who spent the bulk of his productive life working in support of the Florentine republic. I've always read the book more as an exposé of the unethical underpinnings of monarchy rather than a practical how-to.

I'm certainly not an expert in Medieval Italian political trends, though, and I'd appreciate some insight into what Machiavelli's actual political beliefs may have been.

To first start out this question, I feel like we need to understand what "ethics" means, Merriam-Webster defines it as the following:"rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad."

With that in mind, the short answer is, yes. Picking what is good and bad is part of the human experience and rulers before "The Prince" were still troubled by it. Constitutions, codes of law, etc are evidence of the fact that ethics have been part of government way before Machiavelli came around.

For example, there is the Constitution of Melfi or the Liber Augustalis which was promulgated back in 1220 in the Kingdom of Sicily by Frederick II Barbarossa. Title LXXVII covers whether "lascivious" women should interact with "good" women. Right here we have evidence that Emperor Barbarossa has a conscience for what is "good" and what is "bad". His ethical beliefs are defining what a "lascivious" woman is and why she is not worthy of being in the same league as a "good" woman.

Now, having addressed ethics in politics in the per-Machiavelian world, we can address Machiavelli himself. The great thing about Machiavelli is that he was heavy on the correspondence and exchanged thoughts with friends quite often.

In an introductory letter, Machiavelli reveals that "The Prince" is a tribute to Lorenzo di Piero de Medici of Florence. He has written the book with all his political knowledge for him to use: "The results of my long observations and reflections are recorded in the little volume which I now offer to Your Highness and although I deem this work unworthy of Your Highness's notice, yet my confidence in your humanity assures me that you will accept it, knowing that it is not in my power to offer you a greater gift than that of enabling you to understand in the shortest possible time all those things which I have learnt through danger and suffering in the course of many years."

Whether we want to believe Machiavelli or not, is a different story. When Machiavelli wrote "The Prince" the de Medici's held quite a bit of power and it is possible he was trying to secure his standing with them. The book was written somewhere in 1513, the Medici's held control of Florence and Machiavelli had been locked away. As Machiavelli wrote "The Prince", the Italian peninsula was facing some political turmoil. Surrounding neighbors were a doorstep away from invading, uncertainty in the Papacy lead to doubt and the influence of the Spanish kept growing in Southern Italy. As I stated, it is hard to know for sure why Machiavelli wrote it. Was Machiavelli out to change the discourse of ethics for all time the way he has? probably not. In my opinion, Machiavelli was trying to influence the contemporary political scene: possibly by earning forgiveness by the most powerful family in Florence or maybe by influencing someone else with flattery for their actions.

For further reading, I would recommend the following books regarding Machiavelli and his writings outside "The Prince." They can give you a better perspective of how he thought:

*The Letters of Machiavelli : A Selection by Niccolo Machiavelli, University of Chicago Press.

*Machiavelli and His Friends: Their Personal Correspondence by Niccolò Machiavelli, Northern Illinois University Press.