'The Prince' (1513) is by the Italian philosopher, politician, and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, and is regarded as his most important and influential work. Intended as a guide for the world's rulers, it discusses the political atmosphere of 16th-century Italy and Europe while offering a worldwide analysis of the notion of power in general. Machiavelli details all the common features, problems, and ideas that characterise rulers from ancient to modern times, and offers radical suggestions. This is an important work about politics and power and remains hugely influential to this day.