Republics are a Species of State: Machiavelli and the Genealogy of the Modern State

Machiavelli's The Prince is often credited with introducing a modern conception of the state. However, there is controversy over whether such a conception is compatible with his republican theory of freedom. This article delineates the ancient, medieval and modern roots of Machiavelli's state and offers an hypothesis as to how principality and republic fit together in his political thought.