In The Prince, Machiavelli is attempting to win the favor of the prince in Tuscany. He tries to do this by giving him the only thing that he feels could benefit a new prince, his knowledge. Most people try to win favor by giving horses, gold, or precious stones, but Machiavelli had none of these. The only thing he had of value was his experience and reading of history. Machiavelli discusses the politics and the relations with the various city-states through the examples of how others came to power. He takes examples from leaders of their own time and from leaders of the past to examine what strengths and weaknesses brought them to power and how they ruled once they had that power. These are his views of politics in the Italian Renaissance.
             To investigate the politics of the various city-states, Machiavelli looks at how the principality came to power. He begins with a new principality that was acquired by its own skill. He feels that men that come to power by there own skill gain their principality with great difficulty, but they hold on to it easily. The trouble in gaining the authority is that many enemies are made that profit from the old leadership, and new allies are not very strong until they see the benefits of the new leadership firsthand.
             He then proceeds to discuss a new principality acquired by the arms of others or by fortune. The ones that acquire it by fortune have no trouble getting the power; the trouble arises once they have it. They must rely on the favor of those that grant the power, which could easily shift to someone else. Also, if a problem arises the new prince will not know how to handle it because he has no experience and are often not as educated as someone needs to be in order to control the principality.
             Machiavelli then proceeds to discuss those that have acquired their principality through wickedness. For this he gives the example of Agathocles the Sicilian, who becam
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