On the Art of War

Niccolò Machiavelli is one of the most famous Italian thinkers and political figures of the Renaissance (he held the position of secretary of state in Florence), a writer, historian, military theorist, who created a number of historical and political works ("Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius", "History of Florence"). His most significant and ambiguous work became the treatise "The Prince". For many years, this book was associated with the politics of poison and the dagger, and after its publication, the term "Machiavellianism" emerged, denoting cynicism, permissiveness, and duplicity in politics. This edition introduces the reader to Machiavelli's treatise "On the Art of War", which stands alongside the greatest works on military theory. It is here that the ideas first emerge, the importance of which for the subsequent history of the Western world is difficult to overestimate, and which are supported by numerous examples of great victories and defeats of antiquity. The treatise "On the Art of War" is presented in a new translation and accompanied by an article and detailed notes.