The Prince

In the second part of The Prince, Machiavelli turns his attention to military matters, describing the various types of troops available to a prince and how he should defend his principality and prepare for war. Good laws and good arms are what Machiavelli describes as the chief foundations of all states, adding that one cannot exist without the other. In regard to the arms with which a prince can defend his state, he explains that there are four varieties: one’s own troops, meaning native soldiers; mercenaries, meaning hired soldiers; auxiliaries, meaning troops supplied by an outsider; and mixed troops, meaning native troops supplemented by either mercenary or auxiliary troops. Regarding mercenaries, Machiavelli states matter-of-factly that they are useless and dangerous to a prince because “they have no other attraction or reason for keeping the field than a trifle of stipend, which is not sufficient to make them willing to die for you” (45).

The chief issue that Machiavelli has with the use of mercenary troops is that those who are not talented and courageous will lead the prince to ruin from their failure in battle, but those who are talented and courageous “always aspire to their own greatness, either by oppressing you, who are their master, or others contrary to your intentions” (46). Machiavelli offers several historical examples to prove his point, but none more relevant than that of Italy itself. He argues that the ruin of Italy “has been caused by nothing else than by resting all her hopes for many years on mercenaries” (45-46).

In Chapter 13, Machiavelli continues to examine military matters, focusing on the use of auxiliary troops for defense. Auxiliary troops, which he refers to as “the other useless arm,” are those which “are employed when a prince is called in with his forces to aid and defend” (51). In other words, these are soldiers belonging to a different ruler who are simply borrowed or rented. Machiavelli stresses that princes should steer away from this option of defense as well. His opinion concerning auxiliary troops is similar to that of mercenaries, arguing that “these arms may be useful and good in themselves, but for him who calls them in they are always disadvantageous; for losing, one is undone, and winning, one is their captive” (51). A defeat using auxiliary troops leaves a prince defenseless, while a victory leaves the prince indebted to another power. Auxiliary troops are even more dangerous than mercenaries because they are united and obedient to another power.

Machiavelli again offers a number of historical examples to warn against the dangers of using auxiliary troops. Cesare Borgia, for example, entered the Romagna with French troops and was successful, but found them unreliable. Borgia then switched to mercenaries but destroyed them due to their disloyalty and eventually raised his own army. It was only in the latter case that Borgia’s reputation truly grew because “he was complete master of his own forces” (52). Machiavelli concludes the chapter citing the example of the current French armies, which are a mixture of native troops and mercenaries. He argues that such a troop mixture is “much better than mercenaries alone or auxiliaries alone, but much inferior to one's own forces” (53). However, his steadfast opinion is that no principality is truly secure without having its own forces. 

Chapter 14 explores the ways in which a prince should think about and prepare for war. Machiavelli argues that “a prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline” (55). Neglecting the art of war is the first cause of a prince losing his state, and conversely, mastering the art enables one to acquire a state. Among other evils, according to Machiavelli, being unarmed causes a prince to be despised by his people. Additionally, a prince who does not understand the art of war is not respected by his soldiers and therefore cannot rely on them. Princes can master the art of war in two primary ways: action and study. Action refers to a prince keeping his troops organized and drilled and learning all that there is to know about the geography of localities. Study refers to a prince becoming knowledgeable about illustrious men who came before him and imitating their actions. Finally, Machiavelli recommends that princes not stand idle in times of peace. Instead, they should try to increase their resources during the peaceful times.