How the Seat Was Taken
Every state is a republic or a principality. Every principality is hereditary or new. The new are either wholly new, like Milan to Sforza, or members bolted onto an old house, like Naples to Spain. They are taken by your own arms or someone else's, by fortune or by ability. Machiavelli will not discuss keeping until he has named the taking.
Key Insight
A seat whose origin you have not named will surprise you when it slips. Title, tenure, and ceremony are not a map. Ask first how the thing was acquired. The rest of the book is only the cost of that answer.
“All states, all powers, that have held and hold rule over men have been and are either republics or principalities.”Explore full theme analysis
