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The original was posted on /r/askhistorians by /u/Grimnirs_goose on 2023-10-07 00:31:49.

I’ve seen Niccolo Machiavelli referred to as ‘the first theorist to divorce ethics from politics’ in his The Prince. However, was Machiavelli’s advice to rulers to reject Christian ethics and act immorally when necessary really so shocking for the time? It seems unlikely that such views developed in a vacuum, especially in a place as violent and politically unstable as 15-16th century Italy.