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That night, Marco did not sleep. He wrote a list: allies to reward, enemies to crush, walls to rebuild. By dawn, he had learned the first lesson of El Príncipe —all states are either republics or principalities, and his was now a new principality, held by his own virtue and fortune.
But fortune, he knew, was a woman who favored the bold.
He called for his secretary, a shrewd priest named Fra Giovanni.
Here’s a short story inspired by the opening chapter of El Príncipe by Nicolás Machiavelli. In that chapter, Machiavelli discusses how many kinds of principalities there are and how they are acquired—whether hereditary or new. el principe capitulo 1
“Fear,” Marco whispered. “But not hatred.”
“You must understand,” the priest replied, “that men willingly change their master, believing the new one will be better. But they soon learn that conquest hurts them more than the old tyrant ever did. Your first night as prince is not for celebration. It is for deciding: will you be loved or feared?”
And Marco had just become bold enough to keep her. That night, Marco did not sleep
His uncle, the old Duke Alfonso, had died without an heir. The council, fearing invasion from the neighboring republic of Valdara, had turned to Marco: a bastard nephew, but a proven general. They handed him the keys to the city, the treasury, and the palace.
But as Marco walked through the empty halls, he felt no triumph—only a gnawing unease.
Marco set down his cup. “Then how do I keep it?” But fortune, he knew, was a woman who favored the bold
Marco looked out the window again. Down in the square, his soldiers were drinking the city’s wine and pawing the merchants’ daughters.
“Tell me,” Marco said, pouring two cups of dark wine. “Is this a hereditary principality or a new one? My uncle ruled forty years, but I am not his son.”
Marco stood on the balustrade of the highest tower in Urbissi, watching the fires still flickering in the valley below. Two days ago, he had been a condottiero—a hired sword. Tonight, he was prince.
