Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was a Florentine diplomat, author, political philosopher, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance. He is best known for his political treatise The Prince, written around 1513 but not published until 1532, five years after his death. He has often been called the father of modern political philosophy and political science. May 12, 1469 – July 2, 1527; died at 58. Alive at the same time as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Martin Luther, Christopher Columbus, and Nicolaus Copernicus. Wiki link