Part A
The Italian Renaissance (14th,15th,16th centuries) was a new prosperous period of time during which a new way of life emerged. People became concerned with education, and historians studied ancient Greek and Roman literature. One of the most famous historians and authors of the Renaissance was Niccolo Machiavelli. He wrote The Prince, which was a guideline on the way a ruler should gain power, and how he should stay in power. In this book he focused on different ideas including the way to become a ruler, maintenance of power and ethics and morality.
Machiavelli states that there are three possible ways to gain power if the area you are taking over lived under a different law before. The first way would be to take over the area by ruining it, this would be the best way to secure power because by ruining it people can not revolt against you.
Niccolo Machiavelli 1 u
Niccolo Machiavelli
Cesare Borgia/ Museo di Palazzo Venetia, RomeIf you do not ruin it, people will always revolt against you, even if your leadership benefited them. The second way is for the conqueror to occupy the area, this would make it hard for the population to rebel against you. The third way would be to establish a small government in the occupied area, which would pay taxes and such to the conqueror in return for protection. The best way if possible would be third, because it requires the least of work since all you have to do is murder the royal family, since people by nature are followers, they will now follow you. By taxing them for protection the conquered people will know that with out your friendship and support they can not exist. This will make the citizens support you which is a very important factor to maintaining your power. Machiavelli uses the Greeks and Romans...