In Florence, Italy, on May 3, 1469, a boy was born who would become one of the most hated people in history. His name was Niccolò Machiavelli and although many believe he was an evil and evil person, others believe he was a political realist, a genius and someone who dared to speak the truth. He was most famous for his book The Prince, which deals with the topic of how rulers can acquire and maintain their power. Despite the harshness of his writings, Niccolò Machiavelli was simply showing his interest and care for the improvement of government in Italy. The people that Niccolò Machiavelli grew up watching were people who influenced his way of thinking. Some of these influences were those he saw early in his life. Machiavelli was born into a wealthy family and had a rigorous education. In 1494 he entered the Florentine government as a clerk. This was the same year that the powerful Medici family lost their dominion over Italy and were forced into exile. Thus began his diplomatic career and worked for the main cities of Italy, France and Spain. During this period he met many important people such as Louis XII and Pope Julius II. However, around 1502, Machiavelli began serving as a political advisor to the Borgia family, the family that ruled Italy at the time (Machiavelli and Political Thought). He came into contact with Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander. (European Graduate School, Machiavelli Biography). Borgia had a great impact on him, and Machiavelli watched as he expanded his power throughout central Italy, using cruelty, not kindness. Borgia was evil, and not only was he a murderous warlord, but he also performed other outrageous actions such as taking the riches of the church for his own family, and... middle of paper... the things he did. Machiavelli's genius was so overlooked in his time, mostly because people were so caught up in being offended by the things he said. He was so legendary, in fact, that people still talk about him today, with the conspiracy surrounding Tupac Shakur, who "died," but some believe he is still alive and faked his death. People believe that Shakur followed in his footsteps because he read a prodigious amount of Machiavelli's books when he was in prison and even changed his stage name to "Makaveli" shortly before his supposed death. Machiavelli's name is still around today, hundreds of years after his life. Ultimately, Machiavelli was concerned about the greater good of Italy and tried to help by incorporating his own ideas about government. It is too easy to consider someone "evil" or "wrong" if the opinions they express are different from those commonly accepted.