At the turn of the fifteenth century, Europe took a drastic change of culture and appearance that would change history. The Renaissance, or rebirth, of Europe from the Dark Ages which had overturned the beauty and slender of the magnificent Greco-Roman vestige. This was a time of both individual excellence, and cultural growth. Philosophical concepts such as Humanism emerged to dominate attitudes and beliefs for centuries to come. Among the humanists were exceptional personalities such as Niccolo Machiavelli. Machiavelli lead a eventful life during these exciting times. Machiavelli's accomplishments are few in number, but there tremendous power and influence would change the direction of much political thought for years.

To completely understand the ideas of Machiavelli, one must first examine the basis of Humanism. Humanism was the most popular form of philosophical thought of the time. Among the humanists were some...