500-yr-old arrest warrant against Machiavelli found

In a fascinating discovery, a British academic has stumbled upon a 500-year-old “most wanted” notice for the arrest of Niccolo Machiavelli, the infamous Italian Renaissance political figure.

In a fascinating discovery, a British academic has stumbled upon a 500-year-old “most wanted” notice for the arrest of Niccolo Machiavelli, the infamous Italian Renaissance political figure.

HT Image

Machiavelli is the author of the masterpiece ‘The Prince’, a political treatise which argues that the pursuit of power can justify the use of immoral means.

Professor Stephen Milner from Manchester University discovered the historic document while researching town criers and the proclamations they read out in archives in Florence.

The 1513 proclamation, which called for the arrest of Machiavelli, eventually led to his downfall and death. “When I saw it I knew exactly what it was and it was pretty exciting,” Milner said.